Afghanistan, Kabul, 16 September / Trend corr. A.Hakimi / Taliban in Pakistan freed 25 security personnel from their prison in northwestern Pakistan on 15 September, the News Network International (NNI) news agency reported.
The NNI quoted a Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan as saying that the security men had been freed as a goodwill gesture to the negotiation between elders and the government officials to end fighting in the area.
Taliban militants kidnapped a group of troops and policemen in July after they stormed a checkpoint in Kabul area of Swat valley in North West Frontier Province.
Taliban freed the security men from their private jail. As many as 13 other security personnel are still under their custody, said the NNI report.
Recently, elders in the area and government officials held talks in order to find a solution to end fighting in Swat. The security forces launched a major offensive in October last year in a bid to clear the area of militants.