WANA, Pakistan, 28 March 2004 — Al-Qaeda-linked militants have executed eight Pakistani soldiers taken hostage in fighting near the Afghan border, officials said yesterday.

The soldiers, their hands tied behind their backs and shot in the head at point-blank range, were found in a ditch on Friday near Wana, the capital of the South Waziristan area in Pakistan’s semi-autonomous tribal territories.

“It was cold-blooded murder,” said Maj. Gen. Shaukat Sultan, the army’s spokesman. “We have identified the local and foreign militants and now we are chasing them.”

“It was the worst kind of terrorism,” he said.

The eight soldiers were likely killed shortly after their convoy was ambushed on Monday. Twelve other soldiers were killed in the ambush.

Sultan promised a “well thought-out” response. “Our response will be very well thought out and it has to be based on pragmatism rather than any kind of emotional outburst,” he said.

“We would not like innocent civilians to get killed,” Sultan added.

Fourteen other government men — 12 soldiers and two officials — captured by the militants early last week, will be released, said a tribal elder who has been negotiating with the militants.

“We have managed to persuade them to release all the kidnapped people. They will be here some time today or early tomorrow,” said Malik Waris Khan Afridi in Wana.

The army has held back its attack as the elders tried to negotiate the militants’ surrender and the release of the 14. The militants are demanding the army withdraw.

At a press briefing in the evening, Sultan said a senior Al-Qaeda leader and head of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, Tahir Yuldashev, has been injured in the operation.

The man was not captured and is believed to be hiding somewhere in the region along with his local supporters, said Sultan.

“Tahir Yuldashev is one of the top Al-Qaeda leaders and is also head of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan. He has been injured along with his local facilitators and is hiding somewhere,” Sultan said.

About 100 people have been killed since March 16 when paramilitary forces ran into a hail of bullets as they approached a suspect’s house.