Afghanistan's Taliban said on Thursday that it had received the body of its top commander killed by troops last month and had in turn freed four hostages and the body of a beheaded doctor.
The extremist group announced on Tuesday that it had beheaded the doctor, captured late March with three nurses and a driver, because it had not been given the body of Mullah Dadullah.
"We received the body of Mullah Dadullah last night from the Kandahar government," spokesman Shahabudin Atal told AFP.
"We have released the three nurses and a driver and very soon they will be home," said Atal, spokesman for Dadullah's brother Mansoor, who has taken over as commander. Atal did not say where the hostages were freed.
Dadullah was killed three weeks ago in the armed forces' biggest success against the extremist Taliban, who launched an insurgency after being driven from government in 2001.
After his bullet-pierced and battered corpse was shown to the media, he was buried mid-May at a secret location in the southern province of Kandahar.
Provincial governor Asadullah Khalid said since the burial that he would hand Dadullah's body to his family on their request. The interior ministry said on Monday that the body would be released .
{{/usCountry}}Provincial governor Asadullah Khalid said since the burial that he would hand Dadullah's body to his family on their request. The interior ministry said on Monday that the body would be released .
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