| A deadline for the handing over of five tribesmen accused of harboring al Qaeda militants in Pakistan has been extended. Leaders of a 2,000-strong tribal militia told a prominent local fugitive accused of harboring the suspected terrorists and his followers to surrender on Tuesday. Naik Mohammed asked for three days to consult with his comrades before responding, tribal leader Malik Ghulam Nabi Khan said after a meeting in South Waziristan, The Associated Press reported. "Considering the performance of the lashkar (militia), we do not think there is any urgency for military action, and we are making an extension in the deadline," a senior military official in the main town in the region, Wana, told The Associated Press. The local militia hope to find the suspects, and avoid a repeat of last month's military operations, where more than 120 people, including soldiers, militants, and civilians, were killed. |