WANA, Sept 16: A soldier who had been captured during an attack on a military convoy in the Sarwekai area of South Waziristan on Tuesday was to be released, a tribal militants' commander said on Thursday.

Talking to Dawn on phone from an unknown location, Abdulllah Mahsud said that the soldier, Mohammad Shaban, would be freed 'on humanitarian grounds' in response to an appeal from his parents.

"We will free him in the presence of journalists," he said and invited local media men to the troubled Luddah area to witness the release. However, he did not say when the soldier would be freed.

Abdulllah Mahsud said he had assured the soldier's parents that their son would not be harmed. The militants had earlier claimed to have killed 15 soldiers and destroyed three military vehicles during the ambush. Abdulllah Mahsud vowed to continue attacks on security forces in the area until the government stopped the operation.