 | I'm fairly sure a good time was had by all, 'cept for the dead guy. |
TANK: A militant was killed in South Waziristan on Friday while the authorities took 13 tribal elders into custody to force their sub-tribe to hand over men accused of snatching an official vehicle. The militant, identified as Yaqub, son of Shadajan from the Wazirgi sub-tribe of the Mahsud tribe, was reportedly shot dead by a man who was blamed as a pro-government spy.| Alas, poor Yaqub, we knew him not at all, and now he's dead. At the hands of a craven spy, no less. Alas, alas. |
Five militants, seated in a car, had chased the vehicle in which the unidentified man was travelling along with other passengers from Makeen to Spinkai Raghzai via Srarogha. After intercepting the passenger vehicle just outside Srarogha bazaar, Yaqub and the other militants all of whom had covered their faces disembarked and started moving toward it. | "Yar! We be the cadre of Yaqub! You lowdown dirty spy...prepare to..." |
Eyewitnesses said the man fired at the militants, killing Yaqub on the spot.| "Wha'? Ow! Rosebu..." [thump] |
Tribal sources said the militants then got hold of the man and thrashed him | "He killed Yaqub! Get 'im, boyz!" |
before throwing him into their car and driving him away on the road leading to Spinkai Raghzai town.| All the roads thereabouts lead to Spinkai Raghzai town. |
A tribesman close to the militants later said the man had been spying for the government and the plan was to capture him alive. He said this man would now be dealt with under Shariat for murdering their colleague Yaqub. He added that the man was being held in The Fortress of Solitude, in the Dungeon of Doom (TM) a secret place. Meanwhile, 13 tribal elders from the Machikhel sub-tribe of the Mahsud tribe were arrested when they came to Tank to meet assistant political officer Anwarzeb. They had been reportedly invited for the meeting to discuss the case of the official vehicle that the militants had snatched ten days ago in Wana, headquarters of South Waziristan."Wheels, man, we gotta get some wheels. I just can't terrorize the joint properly from the back of a donkey! It ain't right."
"Cool your jets, Yaqub, we're working on a plan..."
"Just make it quick, Mahmoud. I'm dying to see some action!!" |
The militants who snatched the vehicle, belonging to assistant political agent, Wana, freed the Khassadars and returned their Kalashnikov rifles after taking them along for some distance.| "You can have the rod. But we're keepin' the ride. D'ya got a little spare change for some gas?" |
The authorities made it clear the 13 tribal Maliks would remain behind the bars until the official vehicle was delivered and those who snatched it are produced and handed over to the administration. The arrested tribal elders include Jehangir Khan, Sherbaz, Ghulam Nabi, Shamroz Khan, Hikmat Khan, Abdul Hameed, Mardalojan, Dostmal, Ghazi Muhammad, Loi Khan, Shaizullah, Sherjan and Khair Muhammad. |