AFP, February 20, 2007

Pro-Taliban Militants Beheaded and Cut off the Hands and Feet of a Man

The man's head, hands and feet had all been severed

MIRANSHAH, Pakistan - Suspected pro-Taliban militants beheaded and cut off the hands and feet of a man in a Pakistani border area, accusing him of spying for US forces in Afghanistan, officials said.

Authorities in North Waziristan tribal district found the body of the Afghan national dumped on a road near the frontier late Monday with a note identifying the man as "American spy Nek Amal," a security official told AFP on Tuesday.

The man's head, hands and feet had all been severed and were lying near the body, the official said, adding that the remains were taken to Afghanistan's Khost province by relatives.

Islamist militants have killed several tribesmen in recent months after accusing them of spying for the US-led coalition forces across the border in Afghanistan.

Violence has again surged in the rugged region after a Pakistani air strike in neighbouring South Waziristan region last month destroyed a suspected Al-Qaeda hideout.

Pakistani authorities signed a controversial peace deal with pro-Taliban militants in North Waziristan last September, under which the insurgents agreed to stop targeted killings.

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