Swiss couple held by Pakistan Taliban released

A Swiss couple kidnapped by the Pakistan Taliban last July have been released, left at a military checkpoint on a main road in Miranshah, military and intelligence officials said today.

A Swiss couple kidnapped by the Pakistan Taliban last July have been released, left at a military checkpoint on a main road in Miranshah, military and intelligence officials said on Thursday.

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Pakistani media identified the pair as Olivier David Och, 31, and Daniela Widmer, 29. The couple were kidnapped in Pakistan's southwestern province of Baluchistan and had been held by the Taliban in North Waziristan.

"They were handed over to military officials in North Waziristan this morning and have been airlifted to a secure location," one military official told Reuters.
However, a Swiss embassy spokeswoman told Reuters: "We are not in a position to confirm or deny these reports".

According to local intelligence sources in North Waziristan, the couple were left at a military checkpoint on a main road in Miranshah at about 5:30 a.m. (0030 GMT) and were then transported to Peshawar by helicopter.

Pakistan's Taliban had claimed responsibility for kidnapping the couple, who were seized from the Loralai district of southwestern Baluchistan province on July 1.
Kidnapping for ransom is relatively common in Pakistan, although foreigners are not often targets. Militants also occasionally take foreigners hostage.
Pakistan Taliban representatives were not immediately available for comment.