Pakistani Hostages Rescued

Scores of kidnapped Pakistani students and staff from a military-run college are safe today after quite an ordeal. Theyve been rescued from Taliban militants in the northwest of the country.

The abduction took place on Monday the first as the Pakistani army pressed on with an offensive against the Taliban in the Swat valley.

A military spokesman says the Taliban was taking the kidnapped students to the South Waziristan region, a militant stronghold on the Afghan border, when soldiers challenged them on a road and a clash erupted.

[Lieutenant Zeesha, Pakistani Army]:
"At first we let them (kidnappers) pass when their seven, eight vehicles tried to pass from there. We wanted to give them a surprise. As soon as they entered into our target area, we tried to stop them but they didn't stop. We fired warning shots and stopped one of their vehicles. They tried to return fire."

[Sardar Mohammad Abbas, Commissioner of Bannu]:
"Six cars drove here, and then two other vehicles drove here too but went out of order in the way. A van cannot be driven on these roads. There were 81 people in total in six cars, 73 were cadets, and the rest were teachers and other staff. We have rescued them."

The surge of militant violence in Pakistan has alarmed the United States, which needs Pakistani action to help defeat al Qaeda and get to grips with the Taliban insurgency in neighboring Afghanistan.

There are several Taliban and al-Qaeda-linked groups based in North and South Waziristan in a loose alliance with the Taliban in Swat.

While the military has not announced any plans for an offensive after Swat is secured, officials have said a South Waziristan operation looks inevitable.

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• kidnapped
• Pakistani
• students
• ordeal
• Taliban
• militants
• Afghan

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good job!