Miranshah (Pakistan), Aug 12: Suspected Islamist militants decapitated an Afghan man in a volatile Pakistani tribal region on suspicion of being a spy for the United States, intelligence officials and residents said today.
The killing was the latest in surging violence around the North Waziristan region on the Afghan border after militants in July scrapped a 10-month old peace agreement with the government.
Residents found the body with a severed head, hands and legs dumped on a roadside on the outskirts of Miranshah, the region's main town, this morning.
A note found lying near the body asked people not to attend the funeral for the slain man identified as Habib-ur-Rehman.
''The note said that Rehman confessed to spying for the United States and he was being paid 200 dollars for the job,'' an intelligence official in Miranshah told Reuters.
In neighbouring South Waziristan, the militants have demanded the release of 10 colleagues held by the authorities in exchange for 16 paramilitary soldiers abducted three days ago, security officials said.
The men went missing while returning to their base in Jandola, 50 km from Wana, the main town of South Waziristan. The area is a hotbed of support for the Taliban and al Qaeda.
Militants have killed a large number of government officials, Afghan nationals as well as tribal elders on suspicions of spying in Waziristan.
Militants carry out attacks in the restive region almost daily since they pulled out the peace pact signed in September.
Pakistan has been under mounting US pressure to step up action against the militants in recent weeks.
Yesterday, Pakistani forces, backed by army helicopters, attacked a suspected militant hideout near Miranshah after a roadside bomb hit a military convoy, wounding one soldier.
Two people were killed and two were wounded in crossfire that followed the blast.
Reuters>
The killing was the latest in surging violence around the North Waziristan region on the Afghan border after militants in July scrapped a 10-month old peace agreement with the government.
Residents found the body with a severed head, hands and legs dumped on a roadside on the outskirts of Miranshah, the region's main town, this morning.
A note found lying near the body asked people not to attend the funeral for the slain man identified as Habib-ur-Rehman.
''The note said that Rehman confessed to spying for the United States and he was being paid 200 dollars for the job,'' an intelligence official in Miranshah told Reuters.
In neighbouring South Waziristan, the militants have demanded the release of 10 colleagues held by the authorities in exchange for 16 paramilitary soldiers abducted three days ago, security officials said.
The men went missing while returning to their base in Jandola, 50 km from Wana, the main town of South Waziristan. The area is a hotbed of support for the Taliban and al Qaeda.
Militants have killed a large number of government officials, Afghan nationals as well as tribal elders on suspicions of spying in Waziristan.
Militants carry out attacks in the restive region almost daily since they pulled out the peace pact signed in September.
Pakistan has been under mounting US pressure to step up action against the militants in recent weeks.
Yesterday, Pakistani forces, backed by army helicopters, attacked a suspected militant hideout near Miranshah after a roadside bomb hit a military convoy, wounding one soldier.
Two people were killed and two were wounded in crossfire that followed the blast.
Reuters>
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