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Driver killed in school van ambush in Hangu
At least one person was killed and two students injured on Friday when unidentified gunmen opened fire on a school van in Hangu district.

Locals said the assailants, who struck near Bahadar Banada area on the main Hangu-Kohat road, also abducted five students.

They said a school van was carrying children to Al-Asar Academy in Astarzai when the gunmen attacked it, killing its driver, Asghar Ali, and injuring two students - Irfan and Zafar. The locals claimed that at least three people had been killed and eight taken hostage, but government officials denied the claim.

Police immediately closed the Hangu-Kohat road for all kinds of traffic and cordoned off the area to launch a search operation to recover the abducted children. The Pakistan Army was assisting the police. Hangu DPO Sajjad Khan said the police had recovered a student, Zarin Haider, from the abductors. He said the abductors were still holding four school children and efforts for their safe recovery were underway.

Posted by: Fred 2009-02-28
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=263753