Militants said Friday they had released 60 paramilitary troops that had surrendered to them hours ago in Swat. The soldiers from the Frontier Corps came under siege at a checkpoint in the Daroosh area by dozens of heavily armed rebels on Thursday evening and agreed to give themselves up following hours of negotiations on condition that they would not be harmed.

"We released them after holding them in custody for some hours," the militants' spokesman, Maulana Sirajuddin, said. The security personnel were also given 1000 rupees (16 dollars) each before the release. More than 200 security personnel have surrendered to militants since October 26, when bloody clashes erupted between government forces and supporters of the Maulana Fazlullah in Swat.

Copyright Reuters, 2007