2 kidnapped UN employees recovered at Pakistani-Afghan border

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Pakistani security forces recovered two UN employees after a gunbattle Monday with their captors in a militant stronghold near the Afghan border, an official said. One paramilitary soldier was killed and four were wounded in the clash in Khyber tribal region, said Mohammed Iqbal, a local government official. The two employees of the World Food Program, both Pakistanis, escaped unharmed, he said. Unidentified gunmen captured the UN workers earlier Monday as they traveled by road to Torkham, UN spokeswoman Amina Kamal said. Torkham is the main international border checkpoint linking northwestern Pakistan and Afghanistan. It was not clear whether the gunmen belonged to an Islamic militant group or were criminals kidnapping for ransom.