November 19, 2008	Wednesday	Ziqa'ad 20, 1429

KHAR, Nov 18: Three tribal elders, who had been kidnapped on Monday, escaped from a militants’ hideout in Damadola on Tuesday.

Malak Munir Khan, acting chief of the Mamond lashkar, told newsmen at the office of Nawagai’s assistant political agent after reaching Khar that Malak Ismail Khan and three other elders were still in Taliban’s custody. He said Malak Ismail was injured.

He said a large number of militants, including Maulana Faqir Mohammad, the deputy chief of the outlawed Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, had attacked some tribal elders who were in Malak Ismail’s house. “We had only three Kalashnikovs. If we had sufficient arms and ammunition they could not have captured us.

“Taliban took us away and locked three of us in one room and the others in another room. We managed to get the keys from a guard who was sleeping and escaped. The militants came after us but we succeeded in fleeing,” he said.

Malak Munir said Damadola was a stronghold of the Taliban and a large number of Chechen, Uzbek, Sudanese, Tajik and Afghan militants were there.

He declared that the lashkar would continue attacks to clear the Mamond tehsil of the militants. APA Mohammad Jamil said efforts would be made to free the other elders.

Taliban spokesman Mullah Omar told newsmen that 150 militants had destroyed the boundary wall of the fortress-like home of Malak Ismail with rockets.

“Four elders of Mamond tribe and three guards of Malak Ismail were killed and eight elders were captured.”

He said the fate of the kidnapped elders would be decided by the Taliban shura.

They would be punished for killing a Taliban “commander” so that no other tribe would dare to raise an anti-militant lashkar.

Meanwhile, security forces shelled militants’ positions in Mamond and Nawagai. Several hideouts were destroyed and six militants were killed.

A non-combatant was killed when a mortar shell hit his house in Dabber area of Mamond tehsil.