PESHAWAR: In a chilling admission on Sunday night, a militant outfit identifying itself as Mohmand Agency Taliban claimed to have killed 23 FC soldiers they had kidnapped from Shongari checkpost in the tribal region in 2010.

In a letter posted on the social media, Mohmand Agency Taliban chief Umar Khalid Khurasani said the FC soldiers had been slain to avenge what he called the custodial killing of their 'fighters’ in various parts of Pakistan.

The letter in Urdu says that the Taliban had warned the government against custodial killings of their men but the government allegedly continued to kill them. Therefore, it said, they had killed the 23 FC soldiers who had been kidnapped from Shongari area of Mohmand Agency in 2010. They also uploaded a video on the social media.

The claim, however, could not be confirmed from any independent sources.

There was no verification of the news from the political administration or the FC authorities.

The Taliban letter and the video further claimed that the release of the Taliban prisoners was one of the main demands of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan for agreeing to hold peace talks with the government.

Analysts say the Mohmand Agency Taliban has not been in favour of dialogue with the government. — The reporter is bureau chief, DawnNews, Peshawar