The South Waziristan Agency political administration on Tuesday sealed the shops of two Ahmedzai Wazir sub-tribes under the Territorial Responsibility Act of the Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR) following the kidnapping of four Frontier Corps (FC) personnel from Wana Bazaar on December 7 and the subsequent beheading of two of them on December 9.A senior administration official told Daily Times that the shops belonged to the Jangikhel and Mughalkhel sub-tribes. He said the Jangikhel shops were shut down because the decapitated bodies were found from their area while the Mughalkhel shops were shut down because the FC personnel were kidnapped in front of their shops.
Separately, Pakistan Army Aviation gunships made low passes over South Waziristan Agency on Tuesday, as FC personnel were seen deploying heavy artillery in what is seen as the beginning of a rescue operation for the two missing FC personnel. âGunships are flying low over Wana and other areas while senior FC officers are here to discuss the situation,â tribal elders told Daily Times. They said the gunships were making low passes over the area after a long time.
âThe senior FC officers have been discussing the situation, but have yet not planned an operation to rescue the two kidnapped FC personnel,â the administration official added. He said the option for an operation was on the table, but military planners had not really decided on whether it was the best way to recover the two men. Tribal sources said the FC had deployed heavy artillery around Wana and the situation could worsen if the two missing men were also decapitated.