By JERUSALEM POST STAFFPublished: MARCH 29, 2009 17:43Advertisement
Militants kidnapped 11 police officers in a Pakistani tribal region that is home to a major US military supply route and where a suicide bomber recently killed dozens at a mosque, an official said Sunday.
Parts of Pakistan's northwest - especially the lawless tribal regions bordering Afghanistan - are strongholds for al-Qaida and Taliban fighters, and security forces stationed in the area are routinely targeted for kidnapping and killing.
Officials began hunting for the 11 police officers after they failed to show up for duty at their post in Sheen Qamar in the Bara area of Khyber tribal region Sunday, said Manzoor Khan, a local government official.
"We investigated and found out that Islamist militants have kidnapped them," Khan said, without elaborating. "We suspect they have been taken to (neighboring) Orakzai tribal region. We haven't received any demands so far."
var cont = `Sign up for The Jerusalem Post Premium Plus for just $5
Upgrade your reading experience with an ad-free environment and exclusive content