Eight hostages freed at Pakistan Army HQ: Report

October 10th, 2009 RAWALPINDI - A shootout took place near the Pakistan Army headquarters in the garrison town of Rawalpindi Saturday, media reports said. The firing started when security personnel tried to intercept a vehicle near the army headquarters on the Mall road.

September 7th, 2009 Somali govt detains hostages freed by piratesMOGADISHU, Somalia — A deal to swap three hostages held by Somali pirates with 23 prisoners accused of piracy was halted by Somali authorities who say they were not informed of the plan, officials said Monday. It appeared to be the first attempt to exchange hostages for prisoners in Somalia's multimillion-dollar pirate industry.

August 21st, 2009 PARIS - A French tourist who had been kidnapped in May in southern Pakistan was freed, authorities here said Friday. "I was delighted to learn of the announcement of the release of our compatriot who had been held hostage in Pakistan," Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said in a statement.

August 10th, 2009 10 Italians freed by Somali piratesROME —Ten Italian sailors whose tug was seized by Somali pirates four months ago in the Gulf of Aden have been released after the pirates abandoned the ship, Italian authorities said Monday. Foreign Minister Franco Frattini told Sky-TV24 that the Somali Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke notified him directly of the release in a phone call Sunday evening.

August 10th, 2009 10 Italian sailors freed by Somali piratesROME —Ten Italian sailors whose tug was seized by Somali pirates four months ago in the Gulf of Aden have been released after the pirates abandoned the ship, Italian authorities said Monday. Foreign Minister Franco Frattini told Sky-TV24 that the Somali Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke notified him directly of the release in a phone call Sunday evening.

August 3rd, 2009 LONDON - A top terrorist leader whom Pakistan claimed to have killed 10 months ago was Monday shown chatting on news footage that the television channel said was shot just a few days ago. Sky News said Umer Khalid, also known as Abdul Wali, is alive and well and holding four Pakistani hostages belonging to the Frontier Constabulary security force.

July 20th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Fourteen militants, including three rebel commanders, were killed in fighting with the security forces in northwest Pakistan, officials said Monday. In the past 24 hours to Monday evening, the security forces killed 14 terrorists, including three rebel commanders, in a search operation in the Swat and Malakand districts in northwest Pakistan, the Pakistan Army said in a statement.

July 10th, 2009 LAHORE J - Even though its economy is in shambles and it is facing countless problems, Pakistan is among the top 25 largest military spenders in the world. A report by the Foreign Policy in Focus, a US-based think tank, Pakistan owns one of the most advanced Army in the world which possesses plenty of sophisticated arms and ammunitions.

July 4th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - The Pakistan Army has named Maj. Gen. Ashfaq Nadeem to command the Swat operation against the Taliban, a media report said Saturday.

June 4th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - More than 40 cadets and staff members from an army-run college who were in Taliban captivity for three days in Pakistan's troubled north-west have been released, the military said Thursday. "Forty-six students and two teachers are now in the custody of the security forces," said Major General Athar Abbas, chief military spokesman.

June 2nd, 2009 Army: 79 Pakistanis abducted by Taliban rescuedISLAMABAD — The army says its troops have rescued 79 people who were among a group abducted by Taliban militants in northwester Pakistan. Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas said Tuesday at least one person is still missing.

May 24th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Former Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf has vacated the Army House - 18 months after retiring as the Chief of Army Staff.ources said the belongings of the former army chief had been moved to his Chak Shahzad farmhouse, near Tamri Chowk. Musharraf had retired from the army on November 28, 2007.

May 10th, 2009 TORONTO - The Pakistan army had vowed to quell the insurgency completely. Questions are being raised about whether the Pakistan Army is up to the task of defeating the Taliban in the Swat Valley, after it announced all out war against insurgents.

May 7th, 2009 WASHINGTON - The Pakistan Army might have initiated an offensive against the Taliban with a primary objective of flushing the extremists out of the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), but the Army itself is to be blamed for the current turbulent situation of not only Pakistan but also the whole region, a report in a leading US daily said A report in the Wall Street Journal, while blaming the Pakistan Army for the present tumultuous situation of Pakistan and also the whole region, said that until the military has a proper counterinsurgency strategy in place, success can not be guaranteed in the operation "The real power belonged to the military, whose ambivalence, duplicity and outright support for the militants over the past three decades have brought us to this pass," the report said. Even though Pakistan is facing a grim situation and also a probable threat to its existence internally, the country's army still considers arch rival India its number one enemy, the report said.

March 31st, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Under immense pressure from different quarters, Former Pakistan President General (retired) Pervez Musharraf has decided to vacate the Army House within next few days. According to sources, General Musharraf has informed about his decision to the Army Headquarter.