The eight released hostages were working for the American Refugee Committee when they were seized in July near Quetta
NEW DELHI, Oct 4 (AlertNet) - Eight Pakistani aid workers from the U.S. charity American Refugee Committee who were kidnapped by the Taliban in July have been released, the Express Tribune has reported.
The aid workers were abducted by the al Qaeda-linked militants as they returned from a camp for Afghan refugees near the city of Quetta, capital of the southwestern province of Baluchistan, said the newspaper.
Over the last few months, the aid workers were shifted to various Taliban hideouts in their stronghold of Waziristan, along the Afghan border, before being taken to the town of Wana in southern Waziristan and released on Monday night.
The report said "a heavy ransom" had been paid, but there has been no official confirmation.
"Balochistan has been witnessing a sharp rise in kidnappings and this is the fourth incident in and around Quetta in recent months," said the report, adding that a Swiss couple and five businessmen were also abducted recently.
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