Hundreds feared kidnapped by Taliban
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
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PDF Dozens of students were feared missing in Pakistan's tribal belt last night after heavily armed gunmen hijacked a ?convoy bringing the teenagers home for their summer holidays.
Local police said they had begun ?negotiations for the release of the ?students, whose convoy was hijacked after they left a military-run school in North Waziristan. Although early reports indicated that up to 500 students were involved, Rehman Malik, Pakistan's interior minister, said the highest estimate he had received involved 45 abductees.
An inquiry to ascertain the exact number of hostages, thought to include teachers and parents, was under way late last night. The kidnapping could give the Taliban valuable leverage as the army prepares to assault Taliban strongholds in North and South Waziristan later this summer.
"The Taliban will demand the release of their friends who are in prison, and perhaps some money," said Sailab Mehsud, a veteran tribal journalist.
The students left Razmak cadet ?college, an elite school in North Waziristan, in about 30 vehicles ?yesterday morning, a day after finishing their exams, and were forced off the road by militants wielding assault rifles and rocket launchers.
Television stations said the abduction occurred in Bakka Khel, a village on the edge of the tribal belt under the influence of Qari Gul Bahadur, a Taliban commander whose supporters have been repeated ?targeted by US drones.
Several of the vehicles made it to Bannu, a few miles away, in North- West Frontier province. Last night elders from Bannu formed a jirga, or tribal council, to bring help with negotiations.
The army, flushed with its successful anti-Taliban drive in Swat , is preparing for a major offensive against extremists in Waziristan. But the coming battle is likely to be tougher and longer.
The Mehsud and Wazir militants who make up the Taliban in that region are backed by powerful al-Qaida sponsors. They also have a strong track record in kidnapping.
In August 2007 the Taliban kidnapped at least 150 soldiers, who were swapped three months later for several senior Taliban prisoners, including the notorious commander Mullah Mansoor Dadullah.
Razmak cadet college, which is run by a retired army officer, draws most of its students from the tribal belt. Many are ?destined for careers in the army or bureaucracy. In the 1980s the principal was a retired British soldier, GD Langlands, who was kidnapped briefly by local tribesmen before being released.
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