Two Bajaur boys escape Taliban custody

Over two dozen boys were abducted after crossing over into Afghanistan.

BAJAUR: Two boys, out of a group of at least two dozen, managed to escape Taliban’s custody and return home more than 40 days after being abducted, local sources said.

The boys were abducted on September 1, after they crossed the border into Afghanistan, from the Ghakhi area of Bajaur during Eidul Fitr celebrations.

Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) had claimed responsibility for the abduction.

“We have kidnapped them. These people are with us,” TTP spokesperson Ehsanullah Ehsan had told AFP by telephone from an undisclosed location.

Two boys, Amanullah and Abdullah, belonging to Mohmand tehsil of Bajaur Agency, managed to escape Taliban’s custody and reached home on Thursday.

Bargaining chips

Earlier, the Taliban demanded the release of all their comrades imprisoned in Pakistan. The kidnappers, who are keeping the boys captive in Afghanistan’s eastern Kunar province, also asked Bajaur tribesmen to disband all anti-Taliban private militias and end support for the government in return for their release.

Several jirgas have been convened by tribal elders for the safe recovery of abducted boys but none have succeeded so far. (With additional input from APP)

Published in The Express Tribune, October 14^th, 2011.