The Taliban have freed 17 young men from north-west Pakistan who they seized four months ago, officials say.
About 30 youths were abducted in early September after they inadvertently strayed across the Afghan border.Several managed to escape over the past few months. At least eight more are still being held by the militants, an official in Bajaur tribal area said.
The Taliban said they kidnapped members of the Mamund tribe because it supported the Pakistani government.
Over the past few years, influential members of the Mamund tribe have sided with the Pakistani military and raised private militias to fight the Taliban. The Pakistani government says the co-operation has helped clear the area of Taliban influence.
The youths, reportedly ranging in age from 10 to about 30 years old, were at a picnic to celebrate the Muslim festival of Eid and had mistakenly crossed the border from Bajaur to take a bath in a spring, when the militants seized them.
Washington Time
Kabul Time
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