Latest news with #SouthWaziristan
Arab News
a day ago
- General
- Arab News
Militants free two customs officials months after abduction in Pakistan's northwest
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Taliban militants have freed two customs officials months after they were abducted in Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, police and local officials said on Sunday. Pakistan Customs Superintendent Nisar Abbasi, Inspector Khushal Khan and Saif-ur-Rehman, president of a local chambers of commerce, were abducted in KP's South Waziristan district in Feb. this year, according to Deputy Commissioner Nasir Khan. While the kidnappers released Rehman the same day, the two customs officials remained in captivity and it took months of efforts by tribal elders and members of the Lower South Waziristan Chambers of Commerce to negotiate their release. 'The officers have returned safely after their captors let them go,' Habib Islam, a police spokesperson in South Waziristan district that borders Afghanistan, told Arab News. 'Their release was made possible through extensive negotiations involving multiple stakeholders.' The development highlights persistent security challenges in Pakistan's northwestern tribal districts where militant groups, particularly the Pakistani Taliban, have mounted their attacks against security forces, besides targeted killings and kidnappings of law enforcers and government officials. It also comes amid a thaw in Pakistan-Afghanistan relations which were strained by a surge in militancy in Pakistan's western regions that border Afghanistan. Islamabad frequently blamed Afghanistan for the surge in militant activities, an allegation denied by Kabul. However, both countries have sought to mend ties in recent months and last week announced to upgrade their diplomatic missions in Islamabad and Kabul to the ambassadorial rank. Rehman, president of the Lower South Waziristan Chambers of Commerce and Industry who was released shortly after his kidnapping along with the two customs officials, said the kidnappers had initially demanded the government free their detained associates in return for the release of the two customs officials. 'When it became clear that the government would not meet their demands even after several months, the abductors eventually relented to tribal mediation and agreed to release the officials,' he told Arab News, adding that both officials were in good health and no ransom was paid against their release. On Jan. 9, the Pakistani Taliban kidnapped more than a dozen workers of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC), which is responsible for nuclear energy projects, from the volatile Lakki Marwat district, according to Lakki Marwat police. Eight of the abductees were released shortly after the kidnapping, while the militants released one more and body of another hostage on Jan. 25. The fate of the remaining captives remains unknown. Last year, the militant group had kidnapped District and Sessions Judge Shakirullah Marwat near KP's Dera Ismail Khan district who was later recovered in a joint operation by police and security forces, officials said.
Arab News
6 days ago
- General
- Arab News
At least 22 wounded in drone strike in northwestern Pakistani district — officials
PESHAWAR: At least 22 people, including children, were wounded in a suspected quadcopter attack near a volleyball ground in Pakistan's northwestern South Waziristan district, police said on Wednesday, adding that it was unclear who was behind the assault. Earlier this month, a suspected drone strike killed four children and wounded five others in North Waziristan district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, prompting thousands of residents to stage a protest by placing the children's bodies on a main road to demand justice. It wasn't immediately clear who was behind the May 5 attack in the town of Mir Ali, which has been a stronghold of the Pakistani Taliban in the past. In the latest incident, Lower South Waziristan police spokesperson Habib Islam told Arab News an unidentified quadcopter drone detonated an explosive device on Tuesday evening in the town of Azam Warsak. The blast occurred just before sunset as residents, including children, were playing a volleyball game nearby, leaving approximately two dozen civilians wounded. 'The origin and operators of the drone remain undetermined at this stage,' Islam said. 'A comprehensive joint investigation involving security forces and civilian authorities is currently underway to establish the chain of command behind this attack. We will pursue all evidentiary leads to conclusively identify and bring the perpetrators to justice.' Dr. Jan Muhammad Shinwari, the Medical Superintendent at Wana's District Headquarters Hospital (DHQ) in South Waziristan, said 22 injured had been admitted to the facility. 'Most of the injured have now been discharged after being provided medical treatment,' Shinwari told Arab News. 'Two of the children were referred to the adjacent Dera Ismail Khan hospital who were now said to be in stable condition.' Zubair Wazir, a Member of the National Assembly (MNA) from the South Waziristan district, called the drone strike 'a tragic development.' 'It was brutal, inhumane and senseless,' he told Arab News, condemning the killing of civilians on Pakistani soil. 'We hold the government responsible for the deaths of innocent people attacked while playing volleyball. This time, we will launch a forceful protest to prevent such incidents from recurring.' Wazir said he had held a series of meetings with top security and civil officials, who assured him a thorough investigation would be conducted and those responsible held accountable. Local elder Saleh Jan called the attack a 'flagrant human rights violation.' 'This attack has poured fuel on the fire of local anger. We are trapped in a nightmare, helpless, with no clear path to stop these atrocities,' he said. 'Who will answer for our safety? Who will shield us from the next strike?' There have been civilian casualties in military strikes in some parts of the country in recent years. In March, 11 people, including women and children, were killed when a drone attack targeted a house in the northwestern city of Mardan. A statement by the provincial government at the time had only said that there was 'collateral damage' in an operation that was conducted to target militants in a remote village. Residents in March also rallied until the government agreed to compensate the victims' families. Officials say militants have also been using quadcopters to target troops, but it was still unclear who was responsible for the drone attacks in Mir Ali and Azam Warsak. The latest civilian casualties came amid ongoing military operations against the Pakistani Taliban, which have a strong presence in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan. The Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, are a separate insurgent group from the Afghan Taliban, and they often target troops in the region. Several districts in KP, especially North and South Waziristan, were long a base for the Pakistani Taliban and other militant groups. The TTP have stepped up attacks in the region in recent months. With inputs from AP
