Pro-Taliban militants have released 50 people who were seized by gunmen in Pakistan's volatile northwest tribal region, officials say.
Militants dressed as policemen kidnapped at least 60 people in two separate incidents in tribal region of Kurram on Saturday.
Regional government official Mumtaz Khan told Reuters on Sunday that negotiations involving tribal elders were underway for the release of the remaining 10 hostages.
Sources say incident took place as authorities were trying to hammer out a peace accord between the Sunni and Shia communities in the area.
Pro-Taliban militants in Parachinar, the Hangu district and much of the Kurram tribal agency have killed dozens of members of Shia community on a daily basis over the last few months.
The Pakistani military has recently launched a series of operations to clear the troubled tribal zone of militants. Nearly 4,000 people have been killed in bombings and other attacks by militants throughout Pakistan since July 2007.
[Source: PressTV]
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