August 13, 2008	Wednesday	Sha’aban 10, 1429

KOHAT, Aug 12: Security forces arrested seven Taliban, including an important commander, from Naryab area of Hangu district and recovered seven Kalashnikovs and 18 hand grenades from their possession on Tuesday.

The militants were moving from Naryab to Kahi village despite an agreement with the government that they would not enter the settled area. They were arrested by the personnel of 37 Punjab unit deployed in the region since July 10 to stop Taliban from returning to Hangu.

Hangu District Police Officer Mohammad Idrees told Dawn that Taliban had agreed not to come to Hangu from Orakzai but one of their commanders, Mahboobur Rehman, and his six associates were traveling in the area with weapons.

The other five were identified as Khalilur Rehman, Hafiz Khaliq Noor, Fareedullah, Kasim Khan and Bakhtawar. Name of the sixth militant could not be ascertained. All of them belong to Mir Ali tehsil of North Waziristan.

The arrested militants were shifted to Daoba police station and would be interrogated by senior officials, sources said.

The number of militants arrested in the Hangu operation, so far, has reached 24 including Baituallah Mehsud’s second-in-command, Rafiud Din.

Two officials freed: The Taliban released two more officials of the Water Management Board on Tuesday.

The two officials, Abdullah Latif and Bahadar Khan, had been abducted along with director Nasrullah and eight other colleagues from Togh Sarai area of Hangu on June 28.

Taliban had released four other government employees as a goodwill gesture after a ceasefire agreement but after the deadlock over peace talks they kidnapped some other officials.

There are still 27 hostages in the custody of the militants including security personnel and government employees. The district nazim told Dawn that his brother and three companions were not kidnapped by Taliban.

The whereabouts of the brother of Hangu nazim and his three companions, who went missing a few days ago, were still not known.

Taliban had killed one of the hostages, an employee of Khushali Bank last week. His headless body was found in a stream in Shahu Khel area of Hangu.

The agreement for the swap captured Taliban and security forces and other personnel were being delayed due to the rigid stance of the local amir of Taliban, Mullah Kareem, and the government over the release of the deputy of Baitullah Mehsud.

The draft peace agreement was ready for approval by the NWFP chief minister but it was pending for several days.

Mr Idrees told this correspondent that the talks between Taliban and the government through a peace jirga were continuing.

He hoped that the rest of the hostages would also be released safely.