KABUL: An Afghan man taken hostage by the Taliban made a dramatic escape by stealing a gun while his captors were praying and shooting dead seven of them and wounding 18 others, officials said on Thursday.

Awal Khan and a local police officer were kidnapped on Wednesday as they were driving in the eastern province of Paktika, said provincial deputy security chief Abdul Rauf Masood.

The police officer was killed and 36-year-old Awal taken to a Taliban compound in Gomal district where he was held for hours.

During afternoon prayers, Awal, who Masood said was handcuffed at the time, grabbed a weapon belonging to one of his captors and opened fire.

“Awal Khan sprayed bullets on all of them, killing seven and wounding 18 others,” provincial governor spokesman Mohammad Rahman Ayaz said.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed that the group had kidnapped the two men and that Awal had opened fire on the militants, killing three of them.

Published in Dawn, March 16th, 2018

Opinion

Editorial

Dangerous times
Updated 14 Feb, 2025

Dangerous times

Pakistan accounted for six journalist killings in 2024, of which three were deliberately murdered, according to the CPJ.
Difficult target
14 Feb, 2025

Difficult target

A ONE-two punch delivered by an unforeseen, sharp dip in inflation and an extremely slim base of taxpayers is...
Amazing show
14 Feb, 2025

Amazing show

PAKISTAN’S ability to turn it up at the flick of a switch remains uninhibited. The latest show came in...
Trump’s folly
Updated 13 Feb, 2025

Trump’s folly

This latest pronouncement only reinforces the fears of those who see the plan as a blueprint for ethnic cleansing.
Corruption ranking
13 Feb, 2025

Corruption ranking

IT comes as little surprise. Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index for 2024, unveiled on...
Support from remittances
13 Feb, 2025

Support from remittances

EVEN though workers’ remittances dipped, albeit negligibly, in January on a month-over-month basis, the earnings...