Armed men kidnap eight police officials in Upper South Waziristan

Unidentified armed men reportedly kidnapped eight police personnel, among them a Station House Officer (SHO), in Upper South Waziristan on Wednesday.

According to police officials, the kidnapped personnel include Sararogha SHO Ahmad Shah and two officials from the Bomb Disposal Unit (BDU).

Police said the team had gone to the remote Partogai area of Sararogha tehsil after reports of a suspected unexploded ordnance. Such devices are weapons that fail to detonate but can still explode later.

According to officials, the Bomb Disposal Unit managed to defuse the explosive and completed its task without any incident.

Once the operation ended, the team was on its way back when armed men stopped their vehicle on the route. The attackers reportedly forced the police personnel out and took them to an undisclosed location.

Security officials believe the group had been positioned in advance and struck when the police were leaving the area after finishing their work.

A search operation was launched soon after the incident was reported. Police and security forces are now trying to trace both the missing officers and the attackers.