30 Pakistani Security Personnel Kidnapped

Pakistani Taliban militants in the troubled Swat valley killed two security personnel and captured 30 more a day after their leader issued an attack warning.

The Tuesday attack occurred in the violence-prone northwest tribal area near the border with Afghanistan.

The English-language newspaper Dawn reported those kidnapped belong to Pakistan’s Frontier Constabulary and police personnel.

Early this week, the militants loyal to Maulana Fazlullah, a fiery cleric, killed three members of a provincial intelligence agency, dealing a blow to a May 21 peace agreement between the provincial government and militants.

On Monday, Fazlullah, who has mostly been in hiding since the military campaign began months ago in Swat, told reporters a large number of suicide bombers were ready to take on the military if it begins more operations. He had also said his group’s would continue its jihad, or holy war, against opponents in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The cleric’s group is a part of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan led by Baitullah Meshud.

In the Tuesday attacks, Dawn quoted officials as saying the militants attacked a joint military-police post in Kabal, capturing the 30 security personnel. During a retaliatory attack, two security personnel were killed and 13 more injured, the report said.

It was not clear how many of the militants were killed or injured. The report said the troops detained six suspected Taliban militants.