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India-Pakistan

Militants return bodies of 17 troops

2008-07-14

Suspected Taliban militants on Sunday handed over the bodies of 17 Frontier Constabulary (FC) troops killed in an ambush in the Hangu district, AFP reported.

If they're handling the bodies of dead troopers, they're not 'suspected' militants, are they?

The dead were part of a convoy heading to a fort outside the Hangu city on Saturday when rebels attacked it with rocket-propelled grenades and assault rifles, officials said.

Hangu Nazim Haji Afzal Khan said

The militants had initially refused to allow security forces to retrieve the bodies but relented after frantic negotiations with a jirga.

the militants had initially refused to allow security forces to retrieve the bodies but relented after frantic negotiations with a jirga. The bodies were taken to a hospital in Hangu, where they will be returned to relatives of the victims, a security official said.

Meanwhile, a curfew remained in force for the fourth consecutive day in Hangu, residents said.

Adviser to Premier on Interior Rehman Malik told Dawn News that the government was facing difficulties in countering extremism but they would be overcome in due course.

Soon as the ISI tells him what to do ...

He said the government was acting against militants in the Tribal Areas on actionable intelligence to avoid any collateral damage.

Rehman announced a compensation of Rs 2 million for the bereaved family of FC district officer Karim Khan and Rs 1 million each for the rest of the bereaved families, APP reported. He told AFP that the government would not release Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud's deputy Rafiuddin, adding that militants had kidnapped 19 government officials to press for his release.

Posted by:Fred

00:00