PESHAWAR A Waziristan tribe killed four suspected Taliban militants while rescuing a Pakistan Army captain who was abducted at gunpoint as the body of a government official was found on Friday in North Waziristan, officials and tribal sources said. Lashkar, an armed group of the Dirdoni tribe, chased the militants after they abducted Captain Faisal Islam, a trainer at Razmak Cadet College in North Waziristan. The ensuing crossfire left four militants killed. Islam and two Lashkar men were also injured. Islam was later airlifted for medical treatment. “The tribe immediately formed the Lashkar as they knew of the incident and intercepted the militants before they could reach their stronghold,” an official said wishing not to be named. The rescue operation comes on the heels of the killing of Mehboob Khan, the brother of government officer Rehmatullah Wazir. Wazir served in South Waziristan as assistant political agent in 2004. Mehboob, a clerk at the Food Control Department in Bannu, was kidnapped on Thursday. His beheaded body was found on Friday near Edak village, 20 kilometres east of Miranshah. He belonged to the Dirdoni tribe and the killing, according to senior government officials, could spark a Wana-like uprising against foreign militants and their local protectors.
AP adds: Two tribesmen were also killed in the shootout, said an official on condition of anonymity.