 Militants on Tuesday released 18 soldiers and a government official kidnapped near Afghan border earlier this month, spokesmen for the army and the militants said. Maj. Gen. Waheed Arshad said on Geo television news that the hostages were released unconditionally in South Waziristan, a militant stronghold in Pakistan's lawless frontier region.
More, from Pak Daily Times
Sixteen Frontier Corps personnel were kidnapped on August 9 in South Waziristan and the Taliban beheaded a Shia soldier on August 14.
| The Shiite's head was lopped off because he's an "infidel," of course. They don't think about that when they're hopping up and down and rolling their eyes and hollering "Death to America!" |
Four others, including Lieutenant Colonel Muhammad Shahid and a political administration official, were abducted from Ladah on August 24. A tribal elder said the Taliban handed over the hostages to a Mehsud jirga, which took them to Wana where they were received by the authorities concerned.
| The jirga's the "political wing" of the Mehsud Division of Talibs. |
South Waziristan political agent (PA) Hussainzada Khan told the 80-member Mehsud jirga that the government would “abide by the Sararogha agreement” reached with militant commander Baitullah Mehsud in February 2005. Mehsud died in a raid in July 2007.
| Meaning the turbans got the concessions they wanted from the local pols and the central gummint. |
As per the tribal traditions, the PA distributed Rs 200,000 among jirga members for securing the hostagesÂ’ release.
| Right. They do have a tradition of bribery. |
The army has denied accepting militantsÂ’ conditions to end the hostage crisis after the release of a video footage showing sepoy Liaq HussainÂ’s beheading by young militants.
| "No, no! Certainly not! Who? Us?" |
The Associated Press quoted Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) Spokesman Major General Waheed Arshad as saying on Geo television that the hostages were released unconditionally.
| "And the gummint's meeting their terms unconditionally. The word 'surrender' has never been used by either side!" |
All the released people were whisked away moments after they had offloaded from a private vehicle inside a camp where the military and the political administration offices are situated. The media was not allowed to speak to them. |