South Waziristan, you may recall, is the province where many in the al Qaeda leadership are said to be holed up. Daily Times:

Two Chinese engineers working at the Gomal Zam Dam project in South Waziristan Agency were kidnapped along with a security guard and a co-worker on Saturday morning.

The men left for work early in the morning and their abandoned vehicle was later found at Tormandi. DIG Police Habibur Rehman told reporters in Dera, 160 miles south of Peshawar, that the Chinese engineers and the two Pakistanis were kidnapped 10 kilometres inside South Waziristan Agency at 7:00am.

Officials said that security forces were chasing the kidnappers and had sealed the area.

Sources said the authorities had asked Muttahdia Majlis-e-Amal MNA Maulana Mirajuddin to negotiate the release of the Chinese workers. Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao told reporters in Peshawar that all channels were being explored to secure the release of the abducted men. “We are leaving no stone unturned to ensure the safe release of the Chinese men and two Pakistanis,” he said. Brig (r) Mehmood Shah, FATA security chief, told Daily Times that two foreigners and one Pushto-speaking tribesman were involved in the kidnapping.

“The authorities are negotiating with the kidnappers as they have threatened to blow up themselves and the hostages if the security forces try to carry out a rescue operation,” Brig Shah said. He said the kidnappers had so far made no demand for the release of the hostages but sources in Dera said that the kidnappers had demanded to be “taken to the ameer.” But they would not elaborate who the ameer was. Military helicopters were hovering over the Gardoway area near Tank district, a source in Wana said. “They are walking on foot. Paramilitary troops are following them,” an intelligence source said.

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