Pakistani militants agree to ceasefire

PAKISTAN, Pro-Taliban militants battling Pakistani troops in a northwestern tourist region agreed to a ceasefire Monday after three days of fighting that left up to 60 rebels dead, officials said.

The rebels, followers of a radical cleric who is pushing for Taliban-style Islamic law in the scenic Swat Valley, broadcast news of the truce in a statement over their private radio station and mosque loudspeakers.

"Security forces in the area also stopped firing and there is a ceasefire from our side also," local administration chief Arshad Majid told AFP, adding that it came into effect at 8:00 am (0300 GMT).

North West Frontier Province Home Secretary Badsha Gul Wazir said there were "reports around 60 miscreants were killed in three days of fighting. The toll could be higher." A spokesman for the hardline cleric at the centre of the unrest, Maulana Fazlullah, confirmed that a ceasefire was reached following talks with government representatives.

The two sides will now exchange the bodies of those killed in the violence, said the spokesman, Shah Dauran.

Mingora, Tuesday, AFP.