GHALANAI, Aug 3: The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) released six hostages of a rival group in the Mohmand tribal region on Sunday.

According to sources, the released men had been taken hostages along with 74 others after clashes erupted between the TTP’s Umer Khalid and Shah Khalid groups in the region last month.

They were released after a jirga held talks with the Taliban leadership. The jirga was led by Harkatul Mujahideen chief Fazlur Rehman Khalil.

Akhtar Shah, a spokesman for the TTP, said that the released men belonged to Swat and Timergara, Lower Dir district, but did not identify them.

Previously, the Taliban had set free 30 hostages on the intervention of a jirga, which included Fazlur Rehman Khalil and Dr Sher Ali Shah.

They hoped that the rest of the hostages would be released soon.— Correspondent