Hostages freed in Afghan swap
Taliban free four health officials in return for the remains of its slain commander.
The Taliban, who had kidnapped five health workers in March, demanded this week that Dadullah’s remains be handed over to his family or else the hostages would be killed.
Meanwhile, a local police official confirmed Dadullah’s remains had been handed over to his relatives late on Wednesday night in Kandahar.
Dadullah – nicknamed Afghanistan‘s Abu Musab al-Zarqawi after the slain al-Qaeda leader in Iraq – was the main architect of suicide bombings, kidnappings of foreigners and Afghans, beheadings and the rise of violence in the south.
An al-Qaeda leader threatened US-led forces and their Afghan allies with a deadly summer of attacks in revenge for Dadullah’s killing.
Abu Yahya al-Libi issued the threat in a video statement posted on the internet on Wednesday.