farhanalee7
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KHYBER AGENCY / PESHAWAR: Security forces on Sunday carried out search operations in Orakzai, Kurram and Khyber agencies to recover the people kidnapped from a hashish mela held in the Orakzai Agency, Express News reported on Sunday.
The search operations are still underway.
Unidentified gunmen had stormed the mela on Saturday and kidnapped around 100 men, government officials said.
Three local government officials told Reuters that the gunmen had initially taken around 100 villagers from the gathering, but had later released many of them.
The officials all asked to remain anonymous because negotiations for the men’s release were ongoing.
Sources told Express News that most of the kidnapped people were released last night but there were 15 people still in the custody of the armed men.
“The government has no writ in those areas between Orakzai and Khyber tribal region but we are hearing from the local people that tribal elders had sent (elders) to the (armed men) to release the kidnapped villagers without any condition,” one official said.
Another official said that law-enforcement agencies had launched a search operation in the area for the safe recovery of the abducted.
“Yes they kidnapped over 100 villagers but later released some of them. I hope they will free others as well as the tribal elders have been working on,” the senior official said.
The search operations are still underway.
Unidentified gunmen had stormed the mela on Saturday and kidnapped around 100 men, government officials said.
Three local government officials told Reuters that the gunmen had initially taken around 100 villagers from the gathering, but had later released many of them.
The officials all asked to remain anonymous because negotiations for the men’s release were ongoing.
Sources told Express News that most of the kidnapped people were released last night but there were 15 people still in the custody of the armed men.
“The government has no writ in those areas between Orakzai and Khyber tribal region but we are hearing from the local people that tribal elders had sent (elders) to the (armed men) to release the kidnapped villagers without any condition,” one official said.
Another official said that law-enforcement agencies had launched a search operation in the area for the safe recovery of the abducted.
“Yes they kidnapped over 100 villagers but later released some of them. I hope they will free others as well as the tribal elders have been working on,” the senior official said.
