PESHAWAR, Sept 7: A tribal jirga held negotiations with the local Taliban on Friday for release of about 300 soldiers taken hostage by the militants in the restive South Waziristan Tribal agency.

Nothing was known about the outcome of the talks as the jirga, led by MNA Maulvi Mirajuddin and others, had not reached Wana from an undisclosed location, where talks were held, till Friday evening.

The militants had freed six soldiers on Sept 5 as a gesture of goodwill for the jirga, but they had stuck to their demands, including the implementation of the Sararogha peace agreement, signed by the govern-ment and the militants on Feb 7, 2005.

Senator Saleh Shah, hailing from same agency, told Dawn from Wana that jirga members were on way to Wana and nothing could be said about the failure or success of the talks till their arrival.

The senator said that he had held talks with Waliur Rehman, a close aide of militant commander Baitullah Mehsud, and he (Rehman) had not been optimistic about the outcome of the talks.