The headless body of a kidnapped Frontier Corps soldier was found near a town market on Tuesday, raising the stakes in a military hostage crisis. Officials said suspected pro-Taliban militants beheaded one of 16 kidnapped FC soldiers and threatened to kill more unless the authorities release 10 of their men.
The headless body of the soldier was found near the main market in Jandola, South Waziristan. A note found near the body warned that other soldiers would be murdered if the demands were not met, local official Latifur Rehman told AFP.
Unidentified gunmen had abducted 16 FC soldiers last Thursday as they travelled in civilian clothes from Jandola Camp to a nearby base in South Waziristan. The militants, believed to be from the local Mehsud tribe, said they would swap the soldiers for their 10 detained colleagues, three of whom are held on charges of plotting bomb blasts and suicide attacks, the official said.
The kidnappers had given no deadline and had not made direct contact with authorities. The discovery of the corpse coincided with the expiry of a three-day deadline for the soldiers' safe return, he said, adding that if they were not released, the tribe would be ordered to pay a heavy fine under local tribal law.
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