www.chitraltimes.com

Taliban treats as guest with Greek kidnapped volunteer

By Zahiruddin

CHITRAL: The Greek national Athunasius kidnapped from the Kalash valley of Bumburate is said be in good health and has grown a beard wearing a Taliban look. A member of the delegation which had visited Nooristan to seek his release from the Afghan Taliban told chitraltimes.com that the Greek national was found in good mood and that his captors are treating him as their ‘respected’ guest and take care of him. He said that the delegation members were freely allowed to have a number of meetings with him even in isolation. He was also allowed to pose for group photo with the delegation brandish a klashnikov in his hand (chitraltimes.com was provided with few photograph exclusively). He narrated that during their long stay in the Nooristan area, they were served meal by their Taliban hosts in the presence of Athunasias who also joined them. They observed that the abducted Greek has cultivated a close intimacy with his captors. Led by former union council nazim of Ayun Abdul Majeed Qureshi, the delegation consisted of Wazirzada Kalash, Musa Khan and Qari Khairatullah. Sources said that the delegation led by former nazim of union council Ayun Abdul Majeed stayed for eight days in Nooristan and held meetings with the Nooristan governor Mulla Dost Muhammad and Taliban commander Haji Usman Muttaqi. The Taliban leadership reportedly reiterated their demand of release of three of their commanders from the captivity in Pakistan in lieu of the release of the Greek national. Earlier they had dropped their demand of two million US dollars as ransoms which also formed one of the two conditions for the Greek volunteer who had been picked from the valley in September last. The delegation is said to have conveyed the result of their meeting with the Taliban leadership in Nooristan, and they hopeful that the matter will be resolve soon.