A Pakistani Army colonel and several members of his immediate families have been abducted, authorities said early on August 29. The officer, two of his brothers, and a nephew were kidnapped while attending a family funeral in the Kalach area of Dera Ismail Khan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, security sources told RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal. The banned Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) group claimed responsibility for the kidnapping in a message to Radio Mashaal, adding that those kidnapped were safe. The incident comes after the government launched an operation against militants that it says are coming into Pakistan from neighboring Afghanistan.
Pakistani Taliban Kidnaps Army Officer, Family Members
Pakistan's military on guard in the country's restive northwest (file photo)