Taliban nears peace deal with militants

The Taliban announced a 10-day cease-fire in Pakistan’s Swat Valley on Sunday after freeing a Chinese hostage as the government neared a peace deal with an insurgent-linked group.

Meanwhile, a captive American threatened with imminent death by his kidnappers remained missing.

Past peace deals with militants, including in Swat, have failed, and any agreement this time could re-spark U.S. criticism that the talks merely give insurgents time to regroup and rearm. Pakistan’s government, however, insists that it cannot rely on force alone to defeat the al-Qaida and Taliban fighters in its regions bordering Afghanistan.

Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan called the release of Chinese engineer Long Xiaowei a goodwill gesture as government officials and a group linked to the Swat insurgents said they had come to terms on introducing elements of Islamic law in Swat and surrounding areas.

A formal announcement on an agreement was expected as early as Monday, revolving around some 22 points.

“In view of these developments, we announce a unilateral cease-fire for 10 days, but we reserve the right to retaliate if we are fired upon,” Khan told The Associated Press.