Over 260 Pakistani troops freed
PAKISTAN: Pro-Taliban militants on Monday freed more than 260
Pakistani troops who were kidnapped nearly two weeks ago in a restive
tribal region near the border with Afghanistan, security officials and a
militant said.
The soldiers were handed over to members of a jirga or tribal council
in Ladha, a village in the South Waziristan tribal area, where they had
been abducted by militants on Aug. 30, a local intelligence official
said on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of his
job.
Pakistan's army spokesman said he could not immediately confirm the
releases. The freed soldiers were to be handed later Monday to
government officials in Wana, the main town in South Waziristan, a
rugged region where al-Qaida- and Taliban-linked militants operate, the
intelligence official said.
It was not clear whether there were any conditions to the soldiers'
release. Militants had earlier demanded that authorities withdraw the
military from the area and free more than a dozen of their comrades.
Six of the abducted troops were released last week in what an
official said was a "goodwill" gesture to the jirga that was trying to
negotiate their release.
Pakistan - a close U.S. ally in the war against terrorism - has
deployed some 90,000 troops to the Pakistan-Afghan border region to
track down militants.
In recent weeks militants have stepped up attacks against the
military in tribal regions bordering Afghanistan, adding to the
government's woes at a time of gathering political crisis in the
country.
The United States has been pressing Pakistan to do more to crackdown
on militants in the region amid its concern that al-Qaida may be
regrouping in there.
Islamabad, Monday, AP |