The dead bodies of 17 soldiers and a civilian killed in a cross-border
attack on June 24 were
shifted from Afghanistan
to Pakistan on July
12 after militants in
Kunar Province (Afghanistan)
struck a deal with a
jirga from Upper Dir
District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,
reports Dawn.
The jirga comprising
elders from Sunai Darra,
Sabir Kallay, Maskini
and other border villages
of Upper Dir held at
least 10 rounds of talks
with the militants in
Kunar Province. According
to jirga sources, the
bodies were shifted
to Sabir Kallay through
Shahi Pass in the evening
and handed over to the
Security Forces. The
militants operating
under the fugitive chief
of Tehreek-e-Taliban
Pakistan (TTP)
Swat chapter, Maulana
Fazlullah, had reportedly
killed the soldiers
in an attack in the
border area of Sunai
Darra. Militants had
demanded the release
of their 20 cadres imprisoned
in different jails in
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and
it could not be ascertained
whether they had handed
over the bodies in return
for any concessions. |
