KOHAT, Aug 17: The miners, who had been kidnapped from Akhorwal area of Darra Adamkhel, were released by their captors after 67 days.

The political administration, soon after kidnapping of 16 miners, had declared that they were not being kept in Darra Adamkhel. It had also constituted a jirga to negotiate a deal with the kidnappers for safe release of abducted miners.

Officials were tight-lipped about disclosing the contents of the agreement between the jirga of mine owners and the abductors that led to release of the kidnapped miners.

Reliable sources confided to Dawn that 12 of the miners were released in Akhorwal area of Darra Adamkhel while four of them would be freed from Khyber Agency on Wednesday. “The release was made possible through a deal reached between the local commander of Taliban and mine owners,” they said.

Officials said that 12 miners had reached their homes in Shangla district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa while remaining four would be sent to their homes soon after their release.

The tribesmen believed that the victims were abducted by Taliban and whisked away to Khyber Agency.

Taliban used to collect tax from the mine owners but the practice was ended after intervention of tribal lashkar few years ago.

About 100 armed men, believed to be militants, had attacked Akhorwal area and kidnapped miners, who were sleeping in the open. They had taken away 20 miners but four of them had managed to escape.