Tuesday
2 Jun 2009
Some Students Kidnapped by Taliban Are Rescued
By Annie Jacobsen in category Pakistan & Afghanistan
Hundreds of Pakistani army preparatory school students in North Waziristan were kidnapped by Taliban yesterday. Today, the Washington Post reports that perhaps dozens of the high-school age children have been rescued.
The students were leaving their school, Razmak Cadet College, by bus convoy for summer vacation when they were attacked by Taliban forces wielding rockets, rifles and hand grenades.
The message the jihadists wanted to send is clear:
The government-run school trains future army officers and has a reputation for accepting only the brightest students from the tribal regions and neighboring North-West Frontier Province. It caters to the sons of maliks, or tribal chiefs, many of whom have been killed or ousted by Taliban commanders who have upended the traditional tribal structure in Waziristan.
What will happen to the rest of the boys?