Pakistani Troops Rescue Kidnapped Students, Teachers

Great news from Pakistan, where the the students and teachers abducted yesterday by the Taliban have been rescued. This report puts the number at 80, although original reports said about 400 had been kidnapped, apparently some were able to escape uncaptured. Via CNN:

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- The Pakistani army rescued a group of 80 students and school staff Tuesday, a day after Taliban fighters abducted the group, military representatives said.
Pakistani students arrive safely in Bannu on Monday after militants abducted their colleagues.

The army rescued the group, which included 71 students, near Razmak in Pakistan's tribal region.

The abduction took place Monday in the same tribal region, the area where the military has waged a bloody battle against Taliban insurgents, police said.

Militants attacked a convoy of 27 vehicles carrying 350 students and teachers that departed Razmat Cadet College in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas.

The heavily armed Taliban fighters attacked about eight vehicles, while the others sped away.

Thank God for this swift and safe rescue! Please continue to pray for the safety of those fleeing the violence in Pakistan, and for the protection of their troops as they battle a fierce enemy in the Taliban.

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Taliban Kidnap 400 at School in Pakistan

Taliban Kidnap 400 at School in Pakistan

A terrible situation in Pakistan, where hundreds of students, teachers and family members trying to evacuate a boys' school in North Waziristan have been abducted by the Taliban. Via The Washington Post:

ISLAMABAD -- Taliban militants armed with rockets, grenades and automatic weapons abducted at least 400 students, staff and relatives driving away from a boy's school in a northwest Pakistani tribal region on Monday, police and a witness said.

The brazen abduction came amid rising militant violence in Pakistan's tribal belt _ actions the military says are partly aimed at distracting it from its offensive against the Taliban in the nearby Swat Valley.

Police were negotiating with the Taliban via tribal elders to release of the captives taken in North Waziristan, said Mirza Mohammad Jihadi, an adviser to the prime minister. He said around 500 people were taken and that they were being held in the Bakka Khel area.

Details were still emerging late Monday about what happened, and much was murky.

Police official Meer Sardar said the abduction occurred about 20 miles (30 kilometers) from Razmak Cadet College in North Waziristan. The people were leaving the school area after they were warned to get out in a phone call from a man they believed to be a political official, Sardar said, citing accounts from a group of 17 who managed to get away.

Please pray urgently for the safety of these hostages. More details as they become available.