ISLAMABAD, 30 September 2006 — Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf and Afghan President Hamid Karzai agreed at a dinner hosted by US President George W. Bush in Washington earlier this week to involve the tribes straddling their common border in the fight against terror.

Tribal jirgas — traditional assemblies — will be held on either side of the border and will be attended by Musharraf and Hamid Karzai, the Dawn newspaper said, quoting Pakistani and Afghan ambassadors in Washington. “No date has been fixed for the two meetings,” said Pakistani Ambassador Mahmud Ali Durrani, adding that the two presidents agreed “to strengthen the tribal political system within their countries.”

Afghanistan’s Ambassador to Washington Said Jawad said late on Thursday Pakistan had agreed to take action against militants based on Afghan intelligence. “Pakistan agreed that if it is provided with specific demands, names or lists of targets that it will comply,” Jawad said in a brief interview.

Akram Shaheedi, a spokesman for the Pakistani Embassy in Washington, said Pakistan has long cooperated with Afghanistan on security matters and will continue to do so, although he said he did not know of any specific agreement at the dinner. “This collaboration is already going on between Afghanistan, America and Pakistan. Whenever any credible information is given to Pakistan, Pakistani security forces do take action immediately,” Shaheedi said.

Taleban Claim Killing US Spy

The Taleban claimed responsibility yesterday for executing a man described as a spy for US and Afghan intelligence in North Waziristan, a border region where the Pakistan government signed a pact with tribal leaders a few weeks ago to stamp out militancy. Leaflets justifying the slaying were distributed in the semi-autonomous Pashtun tribal region a day after Malang Rahim Jan’s bullet-riddled body was found.

Taleban and Al-Qaeda fighters had been active in the area before a cease-fire was called three months ago to allow talks that led to the Sept. 5 pact.

The leaflet carried a photograph of Jan, with his identification card pinned to his chest. The dead man was said to be an Afghan.