Swiss abducted to ex-Taliban stronghold
Source: Agencies |
July 4, 2011, Monday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
GUNMEN who kidnapped two Swiss tourists in a volatile southwestern Pakistani province have taken them to a neighboring tribal area that was once a Taliban stronghold, a senior government official said yesterday.
The Swiss tourists, a man and a woman who were traveling through Baluchistan by car, were kidnapped by gunmen on Friday as they dined at a hotel in Lorali city.
Officials in the neighboring South Waziristan tribal area have been asked to keep an eye out for "suspicious elements," said Baluchistan's home secretary, Zafarullah Baloch. Tribesmen in both areas have also been asked for help, he said.
The five gunmen speaking Pashtu drove off with the pair in a green car across the Zhob area of Baluchistan and eventually into South Waziristan, said Baloch. South Waziristan served as the main sanctuary for the Pakistani Taliban before the military launched an offensive in 2009. But many militants still populate the area.
The kidnapping is the first such incident involving Swiss citizens, and authorities in Switzerland have set up a task force to work on the case, the Swiss Foreign Ministry has said. The pair's identity was not disclosed.
Baluchistan, which borders Iran and Afghanistan, is a particularly dangerous region in Pakistan. It is the scene of a low-level separatist insurgency, and criminal gangs involved in the kidnapping for ransom trade are common.
Most kidnapping victims in the country are Pakistani, but foreign aid workers, diplomats and other foreigners have also been targeted.
The Swiss tourists, a man and a woman who were traveling through Baluchistan by car, were kidnapped by gunmen on Friday as they dined at a hotel in Lorali city.
Officials in the neighboring South Waziristan tribal area have been asked to keep an eye out for "suspicious elements," said Baluchistan's home secretary, Zafarullah Baloch. Tribesmen in both areas have also been asked for help, he said.
The five gunmen speaking Pashtu drove off with the pair in a green car across the Zhob area of Baluchistan and eventually into South Waziristan, said Baloch. South Waziristan served as the main sanctuary for the Pakistani Taliban before the military launched an offensive in 2009. But many militants still populate the area.
The kidnapping is the first such incident involving Swiss citizens, and authorities in Switzerland have set up a task force to work on the case, the Swiss Foreign Ministry has said. The pair's identity was not disclosed.
Baluchistan, which borders Iran and Afghanistan, is a particularly dangerous region in Pakistan. It is the scene of a low-level separatist insurgency, and criminal gangs involved in the kidnapping for ransom trade are common.
Most kidnapping victims in the country are Pakistani, but foreign aid workers, diplomats and other foreigners have also been targeted.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
