San Jose Mercury : Militants free 6 Pakistani troops

Militants free 6 Pakistani troops

By ISHTIAQ MAHSUD | Associated Press Writer | September 5, 2007

DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan -- Militants on Wednesday freed six soldiers who were among more than 100 Pakistani troops abducted over the weekend near the Afghan border, an intelligence official said.

The soldiers were freed in Ladha, a village in the South Waziristan tribal region, and handed over to members of a jirga or tribal council, the official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to make comments to the media.

Militants released the six soldiers as a "goodwill gesture" to the jirga that has been trying to negotiate the soldiers' release, he said.

The soldiers were abducted as they traveled in a convoy through South Waziristan, where alleged al-Qaida and Taliban-linked militants operate.

The army says more than 150 troops including army and paramilitary soldiers went missing after they were trapped by fighting between pro-government tribesmen and militants. Other officials said the troops were abducted.

Militants have claimed they are holding more than 300 troops, and now demand that authorities withdraw forces from the area and free 15 of their fighters who have been arrested in recent weeks in Pakistan.

Pakistan — a close U.S. ally in the war against terrorism — has deployed some 90,000 troops to its border regions along Afghanistan to track down militants.

But in recent weeks Pakistani forces have faced a deteriorating security situation in the region, amid concerns from the United States that al-Qaida is regrouping there.

On Tuesday, militants freed 10 other troops four days after they were kidnapped in Mohmand, another tribal region south of South Waziristan, a security official said.