Abducted Lt Col Khalid Ameer, relatives released ‘safely, unconditionally’: ISPR

A senior army officer and three of his relatives, who were kidnapped earlier this week from Dera Ismail Khan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, have been safely released.

According to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Saturday, the “safe and unconditional release of Lt Col Khalid Ameer and three of his relatives was secured thanks to the efforts of tribal elders and local notables.”

“All the abductees have safely returned home,” confirmed the military’s media wing.

The officer and his two brothers were abducted from a mosque in their hometown, Mohalla Khadr Khel, while receiving condolences for their father’s recent passing.

Suspected militants forcibly took the three siblings, one of whom is employed by the Rawalpindi Cantonment Board, while the other works for Nadra.

In separate videos released by the abductors, the two brothers indicated that they were held “far away” from government-controlled areas. The videos showed them sitting in front of a black cloth, surrounded by armed individuals with their faces obscured.