Two soldiers kidnapped in Kohat

KOHAT: Unidentified gunmen allegedly kidnapped two soldiers travelling in a passenger van near Karrapa in Kohat district on Sunday night, military sources said.
The sources said that a passenger van was heading to Bannu from Rawalpindi when unknown gunmen travelling in two separate pickup trucks intercepted the passenger vehicle near Karrapa and took away the two soldiers who weren’t wearing uniform. The identity of the kidnapped soldiers could not be ascertained.
The sources said that there was a cook who was also travelling in the same vehicle but he wasn’t taken away. The police were conducting raids on suspected places in Kohat and Karak district for the safe recovery of the two soldiers.
Meanwhile, the members of the peace committee in Sepah area in Orakzai Agency arrested an alleged suicide bomber identified as Ashraf Khan and seized a hand-grenade and suicide vest from him.
In another development, the police claimed to have arrested more than 120 illegal Afghan nationals and 200 suspected persons during a grand search and strike operation in various parts of Kohat. The police also seized arms from their possession.