Militants abduct 16 laborers working on a mining project in restive northwestern Pakistan

Thu Jan 09 16:24:42 UTC 2025: ## Pakistani Militants Abduct 16 Miners in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

**DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan (January 9, 2025)** – Sixteen laborers working on a mining project in Pakistan’s restive northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province were abducted by militants on Thursday, police and security officials reported. The insurgents ambushed the workers’ vehicle on a narrow road in Lakki Marwat district, setting the vehicle ablaze after the abduction.

While the miners were traveling to a nearby mining project, officials confirmed the project’s ties to the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission, though the abducted men are not its employees. A video released hours later by the militants showed some of the hostages pleading for their release, though the kidnappers’ demands remain unclear. Although no group has yet claimed responsibility, suspicion falls on the Pakistani Taliban, who have recently intensified attacks.

This incident follows a separate attack Wednesday in Balochistan province, where Baloch separatists seized a government office, robbed a bank, and partially burned a police station before fleeing. The Baloch Liberation Army claimed responsibility for this attack, highlighting the increasing threat posed by separatist groups in the region. Both Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan have seen a surge in militant activity in recent months, largely attributed to the Pakistani Taliban and the Baloch Liberation Army. Analysts suggest that the separatists are becoming a threat comparable to the Pakistani Taliban, fueled in part by the Afghan Taliban’s 2021 takeover of Afghanistan.