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Orakzai elders want FC men's release
Orakzai Agency elders told Bakka Khel and Jani Khel tribesmen on Thursday to release three abducted Frontier Constabulary (FC) soldiers within a week, or face action against their tribes.Malik Wahid Ali, Malik Iltaf Hussain, Malik Gul Shan Ali and Malik Kinan Ali appealed to the NWFP governor, the chief minister and the FC chief to help in the release of the FC men. They were kidnapped on July 31 from a bus on their way back to Saidgi Bannu to resume their duties after spending time in their village, Malik Wahid Ali told a news conference at the Peshawar Press Club. He said the kidnappers stopped the bus at gunpoint in the Bakka Khel area. Wahid said five of the nine FC soldiers escaped, and one - Shah Hussain - was shot dead. Irshad Ali, Najmul Hasan and Sameen Ali were taken hostage. We have information that the soldiers are now in the custody of the Jan Khel Wazir tribe, he said. The elder said that the kidnappers had contacted them through Umer Usman and demanded Rs 1 million and release of five of their tribesmen arrested by the government in ransom. The kidnappers are not Taliban. They are local militants, said Wahid. Other elders said they had held jirgas with the district coordination officer (DCO), Frontier Region (FR) Bannu officials and others on the issue, but it was futile. We have another jirga tomorrow [Wednesday], they said. They said they wanted to resolve the issue peacefully. The Orakzai elders said if the men werent released within a week, they are capable of taking hostage Bakka Khel and Jani Khel tribespeople who live in our area. Posted by: Fred 2007-08-22 |
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