CHITRAL/KOHAT, May 11: Three border policemen, who were kidnapped by Afghan Taliban during an attack on a checkpost in Arsoon village about a week ago, were set free by their captors on Wednesday morning. District Coordination Officer Rahmatullah Wazir told Dawn that he had sent a jirga to Nuristan province of Afghanistan to seek safe release of the kidnapped policemen.

“Afghan Taliban released the three personnel of district border police unconditionally after holding negotiations with jirga members,” he claimed. They were handed over to the representatives of district administration on Wednesday morning near Kandao village of Chitral, he added. It is to be mentioned here, that Taliban attacked Paitasun checkpost in border village Arsoon on the night of May 3 and killed a soldier Abdul Ghafoor.

Three other personnel of border police identified as Mohammad Hassan, Ghaziuddin and Muhibur Rahman were kidnapped along with their arms and taken to Nuristan province of Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, security forces claimed to have arrested a would-be suicide bomber, who was entering Darra Adamkhel from Khyber Agency, at Spina Thana checkpost on Wednesday.

Officials said that 12-year-old Shehzad, a resident of Donga Qambarkhel village of Khyber Agency, was coming to Darra Adamkhel from a mountain situated behind the checkpost. He confessed that he was trained for suicide bombing by Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, they added.

The alleged would-be bomber was shifted to an undisclosed location for further interrogation.

Taliban also fired several rockets at Arakhel residential area in Frontier Region of Kohat. However, no loss of life was reported in the incident.

Meanwhile, bomb disposal squad defused an explosive device planted at a house in Ustarzai village near Orakzai Agency on Wednesday.

Police said that unidentified persons had planted an improvised explosive device, filled with liquid and attached to non-electric fuse and cartridges of 12 bore. The device was planted at the house of Zubair Hussain.

The Ustarzai police called the bomb disposal squad, which defused the device safely. They termed it highly dangerous and most modern bomb.

Police registered a case against unidentified persons and launched investigations.

Meanwhile in Nowshera, police foiled a sabotage bid by defusing a five-kilogram heavy bomb, planted on G.T. Road.

According to police, unidentified persons had planted a remote controlled bomb on the road to target school buses. But the bomb was safely defused by police.

Police also launched a search operation in Vatar area of Ismail Khel and arrested 31 suspects including Afghan refugees and recovered arms and ammunition from their possession. — Correspondents/APP