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| Militants free Pakistani troops | Militants free Pakistani troops |
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| Pro-Taleban militants have released more than 200 Pakistani soldiers who were captured near the Afghan border in August, military officials have said. | Pro-Taleban militants have released more than 200 Pakistani soldiers who were captured near the Afghan border in August, military officials have said. |
| The soldiers were handed over to tribal elders in South Waziristan, the lawless region where they were being held. | The soldiers were handed over to tribal elders in South Waziristan, the lawless region where they were being held. |
| The Pakistani authorities released 28 militants in exchange, reports say. | |
| The soldiers were captured on 30 August, without a shot being fired, as their convoy was taking supplies to remote army camps. | The soldiers were captured on 30 August, without a shot being fired, as their convoy was taking supplies to remote army camps. |
| "The soldiers have returned to their camp in South Waziristan," Maj-Gen Waheed Arshad said. | "The soldiers have returned to their camp in South Waziristan," Maj-Gen Waheed Arshad said. |
| The kidnappers, who are loyal to Taleban commander Baitullah Mehsud, were demanding the release of jailed comrades in return for the soldiers' freedom. | The kidnappers, who are loyal to Taleban commander Baitullah Mehsud, were demanding the release of jailed comrades in return for the soldiers' freedom. |
| One of the negotiators who secured the soldiers' release told the BBC that the authorities had agreed to release nearly 30 militants - some of them suspected suicide bombers. | |
| A military spokesman only confirmed that the local authorities had released some detained tribesmen | |
| Three of the kidnapped soldiers were killed by militants in September as a warning to the government not to launch a rescue operation. | Three of the kidnapped soldiers were killed by militants in September as a warning to the government not to launch a rescue operation. |
| The BBC's Syed Shoaib Hasan, who recently travelled to the militants' camp to meet the captured men, says the capture of the soldiers was a major blow to the Pakistani army which is having to deal with lowering morale among its troops. | The BBC's Syed Shoaib Hasan, who recently travelled to the militants' camp to meet the captured men, says the capture of the soldiers was a major blow to the Pakistani army which is having to deal with lowering morale among its troops. |
| Pakistan has tens of thousands of troops in the area, struggling to quell unrest in a region where tribesmen do not recognise the Islamabad government. | Pakistan has tens of thousands of troops in the area, struggling to quell unrest in a region where tribesmen do not recognise the Islamabad government. |
| The US says the area has become a save haven for al-Qaeda since the 11 September 2001 attacks on New York and Washington. | The US says the area has become a save haven for al-Qaeda since the 11 September 2001 attacks on New York and Washington. |