Pak militants parade 48 ‘captured soldiers'
Militants loyal to a pro-Taliban cleric in northwest Pakistan paraded 48 people they said were captured paramilitary soldiers in front of the media yesterday.
Television crews were allowed to videotape conversations with the detainees in the troubled Swat Valley tourist area, where rebels have been clashing with security forces for the past week.
The insurgents, followers of the firebrand religious leader Maulana Fazlullah who is leading a campaign for Islamic law, said the men were seized during clashes in the area.
Pakistani military and government spokesmen had earlier denied that any troops were captured, although they were not immediately available to comment on Friday's display of the men by the militants.
One of the purported soldiers shown to reporters at Charbagh town, 15 kilometres (nine miles) northeast of the regional capital Mingora, said the rebels had surrounded their hill-top outpost.
"We had exhausted our rations and ammunition. We had no option but to surrender," said the man, who did not give his name and like the others was not wearing his uniform.
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