PARACHINAR: Two students among the 12 persons kidnapped from Charkhel area in Kurram Agency on Sunday were killed while nine captives were freed, official and tribal sources said on Monday. The sources said that a driver belonging to Zhob district of Balochistan was still in the captivity of the kidnappers while the rest were freed after being questioned by the unknown abductors. The slain students were identified as Syed Ajlal Hussain hailing from Parachinar and Zakir Hussain of Krakhela area in Upper Kurram. It was learnt that Syed Ajlal Hussain was going to Peshawar to take admission in a diploma course. The security forces and political administration handed over the bodies to elders of Turi and Bangash tribes in Alizai area in Lower Kurram. The funerals will be held today (Tuesday). Unidentified gunmen torched six vehicles and kidnapped over 10 people from Charkhel area when they attacked a convoy, which was on its way from Parachinar, headquarters of Kurram Agency, to Peshawar. Two people sustained injuries when the armed men opened fire on the convoy to force the drivers to pull up. The Kurram tribal region has witnessed increase in violence since the security forces launched operation against the militants in its central tehsil on July 3, 2011. The Thall-Parachinar Road has been insecure for travellers since 2007 as the passengers and vehicles were repeatedly attacked by the militants. On Saturday, unknown assailants killed 11 persons, including women and children, when they fired at a passenger vehicle in Boshera village in Kurram Agency.
