Unidentified armed men kidnapped four Federal Constabulary (FC) personnel from the Laddha area of South Waziristan Agency on Tuesday, while militants in North Waziristan extended the January 1 ceasefire deadline for another 20 days. The FC men were abducted while walking from their observation post to get drinking water from a nearby stream, officials said. The security forces launched a search operation soon after the kidnapping. The military said five rebels had been killed and 20 others detained in the fighting, reported AFP. “Troops retaliated and launched an operation supported by artillery fire,” a statement said. “Security forces apprehended 20 miscreants and killed five others.” Officials confirmed that two civilians were injured in the artillery shelling. However, locals said the casualties were greater than those mentioned by the officials.
South Waziristan is the stronghold of Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud, who was recently implicated by the government in the killing of former Pakistan PeopleÂ’s Party chairwoman Benazir Bhutto.
Separately, local Taliban in North Waziristan Agency have extended their ceasefire deadline. Ahmadullah Ahmadi, a spokesman for the local militants in the agency, told Daily Times over the telephone that the deadline had now been extended till January 20. The ceasefire was announced some 10 days back and the last date was set as January 1, which expired on Tuesday. The militantsÂ’ demands have been forwarded to the government and negotiations are underway to reach an agreement, he said. Insiders told Daily Times that negotiations between representatives of the Taliban and local officials were continuing to reach an agreement over ceasefire in the troubled region.