Journalist kidnapped in South Waziristan

MIRANSHAH: Gunmen have kidnapped a journalist from one of the tribal areas on the Afghan border, relatives said Friday.

Lal Wazir, 38, who works for a local newspaper in the South Waziristan town of Azam Warsak was taken from a shop by six masked gunmen on Thursday, his uncle Ibrahim Wazir told.

"Nobody has claimed responsibility or contacted the family," Wazir said, adding that his nephew had just returned from a trip to Islamabad.

Local tribal government officials confirmed the kidnapping.

Lal Wazir also works for an Islamabad-based think tank specialising in tribal affairs, the FATA Research Centre.

Officials from the centre said they would not comment as the official authorised to speak to the press had gone out of the country.