Speaking of getting around to things a bit late. In any case, the group may be banned, but the ideology isn’t — and it has many, many adherents in Pakistan.
“Pakistan bans Taliban militant group,” from AFP, August 25 (thanks to all who sent this in):
PAKISTAN today banned the main Taliban militant group behind a wave of suicide attacks in the country that has killed hundreds of people since last year.
The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) – an umbrella group for the Taliban Islamist militants who have threatened more suicide attacks – will have its bank accounts and assets frozen, the interior ministry said.
“We have banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan because of their involvement in a series of suicide attacks,” interior ministry chief Rehman Malik said.
The TTP is headed by Taliban warlord Baitullah Mehsud, based in the lawless South Waziristan tribal district bordering Afghanistan.
The outfit has been blamed for most of the attacks in which nearly 1200 people have been killed since July last year….