KHYBER: Four road construction workers, including excavator operators, were abducted by armed men in the Peer Mela area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Tirah valley on Monday.

Local sources said the kidnapped men included two excavator operators and as many labourers, who were working on levelling the land for the construction of a link road when armed men abducted them at gunpoint. They added that the abducted workers had been taken to an unknown location.

According to sources, three of the abducted men belonged to Balochistan. Meanwhile, security forces had launched a search operation in the area and nearby localities, they added.

Local elders demanded foolproof security for construction workers after the incident, pointing out that such occurrences could jeopardise the ongoing development projects in the area.

Separately, a peace council of the Akkakhel tribe was held in Bara tehsil of KP’s Khyber district. Members of the council told Dawn that, during the meeting, deep concern was expressed over the deteriorating security situation in the area, and immediate redressal was demanded.

The council members said the meeting stressed that law enforcement agencies should take practical steps for the protection of the lives and properties of people, and to maintain law and order in the region. A relief package was also demanded for the internally displaced families of the Akkakhel tribe to compensate for their losses, they added.