A tribal militia and the Taliban in the remote Pakistani tribal agency of Kurram have ended their hostilities after the signing of a peace accord between the two groups.

The Masozai National Lashkar, or tribal militia, struck a deal with the Taliban after 10 days of fighting that resulted in the deaths of at least 51 Taliban fighters and five militiamen, according to reports from the region.

The Taliban, commanded by Maulvi Noor Jamal, agreed to hand over 22 hostages, while the lashkar agreed to support the Taliban's goal in imposing sharia, or Islamic law, nationwide, Geo News reported.

The Masozai lashkar and the Taliban last fought on March 18. The battle resulted in the deaths of 14 Taliban fighters and three lashkar members. The lashkar also claimed to have killed 21 Taliban fighters after a Taliban attack on a peace committee on March 17. [For more information on the recent fighting in Kurram and the Taliban operating there, see LWJ report, "Tribal militia battles the Taliban in Pakistan's Kurram agency"]

In the neighboring tribal agency of Arakzai, the military claimed to have killed 23 Taliban fighters during a series of air and ground strikes over the past two days. The military said that it killed 13 Taliban fighters during airstrikes on March 19 and another 10 in airstrikes yesterday.

The military said it had gained control of the Kasha region in Arakzai after a two-month-long fight, and that it had established 18 security checkpoints in the region. In the past, the military has made similar claims in other areas of Arakzai, but the Taliban have remained in control of the regions.

Kurram and Arakzai have become important bases for the Taliban over the past year. Large elements of the Taliban in the Mehsud regions of South Waziristan have relocated to Kurram and Arakzai, as well as to nearby Hangu and North Waziristan, after the Pakistani Army launched an operation in October 2009 [see LWJ report, "Pakistani military hits Taliban in Arakzai"].