MILITANTS kidnapped and beheaded four security officers in northwest Pakistan after Government troops clashed with supporters of a pro-Taliban cleric, a senior official said.
The men were seized while shopping at a bazaar in Matta in the outskirts of Swat by unknown militants, local sources said, and their bodies were later displayed in the village, although this could not be confirmed by officials.
Heavy fighting erupted in the scenic Swat valley in North West Frontier Province on Friday between troops and militants loyal to the radical cleric, who has been driving a fierce campaign to introduce pro-Taliban laws.
Militants later kidnapped the security officers and beheaded them in front of villagers near Matta, provincial home secretary Badshah Gul Wazir said.
"I can confirm the four security personnel were beheaded," he said.
They were beheaded with their hands tied behind their backs, the sources said.
The clashes at the hideout of cleric Maulana Fazlullah also left about three rebels and two civilians dead, officials said on Friday.
The fighting and gruesome killings came after a blast tore through a security forces vehicle in Swat, killing about 30 people on Thursday.
The attack was an apparent reaction to the arrival of more than 2000 troops in the area earlier this week.
Violence first erupted in Swat in July, when militants mounted revenge attacks on the army after Government troops stormed the Al-Qaeda-linked Red Mosque in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad.
The Swat valley was once one of Pakistan‘s premier tourist spots, attracting a large number of foreign guests drawn by its Buddhist heritage and archaeological sites.
But the area in the conservative province bordering Afghanistan has in the past two years become a stronghold of Fazlullah’s banned group, Tahreek Nifaz-e-Shariat Mohammadi (TNSM).
Security officials say the group is linked to Osama bin Laden’s Al-Qaeda network and Afghanistan‘s ousted Taliban regime.
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