MIRANSHAH, Pakistan, 13 August 2007 — Suspected militants decapitated one Afghan man and shot dead another on suspicion of being spies for the United States, in the troubled region yesterday, sources said.
Residents found a body with a severed head, hands and legs dumped on a roadside on the outskirts of Miranshah, the region’s main town, yesterday morning.
A note written in the Pashto language found lying near the body asked people not to attend the funeral for the slain man identified as Habibur Rehman.
“The note said that Rehman confessed to spying for the United States and he was being paid $200 for the job,” an intelligence official in Miranshah said.
Residents found another body of an Afghan man in Datta Kheil village, around 40 km west of Miranshah, in similar circumstances. A note accused him of being a US spy and identified him as Mohammed Ameer, the official said.
In neighboring South Waziristan, the militants have demanded the release of 10 colleagues held by the authorities in exchange for 16 soldiers abducted three days ago, security officials said. The men went missing while returning to their base in Jandola, 50 km from Wana, in South Waziristan. The area is a hotbed of support for the Taleban and Al-Qaeda.
