Militants free eight captives in NW Pakistan

KOHAT, Pakistan (Reuters) - Pro-Taliban militants freed eight of the dozens of paramilitary troops and government officials they have been holding hostage for nearly two weeks in northwestern Pakistan, officials and a negotiator said on Friday.

The release of the prisoners came two days after the military ended an operation in and around the town of Hangu in the region.

The crackdown was launched after militants killed at least 15 paramilitary troops in an ambush and kidnapped nearly 50 soldiers and government officials to press for the release of their comrades. One government official was freed on Wednesday.

The release of hostages came after a group of tribal elders held talks with the militants.

Mufti Janan, a tribal negotiator, said efforts were under way to secure the release of the other hostages.

"The militants are demanding release of at least three of their men including, Rafi Uddin," he said.

Rafi Uddin is a deputy of Pakistani Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud, who is accused of being behind a wave of suicide attacks across the country over the past year, including the one that killed former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in December. Mehsud has denied involvement in Bhutto's killing.

Based in the restive semi-autonomous tribal region of South Waziristan, Mehsud is known to have strong links to al Qaeda fighters hiding on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

Violence in the northwest has increased after a brief lull that followed when a new coalition government, formed a after February election, sought to negotiate peace with militants.

Militants blew up a girls' school early on Friday, and also damaged some 10 shops with explosives in the restive Swat valley, where the government signed a peace deal last month to end months of violence.

Led by pro-Taliban leader Fazlullah, militants have destroyed several girls' schools in the valley in recent months as they deem female education un-Islamic.

(Reporting by Mohammad Hashim and Junaid Ali; Writing by Augustine Anthony; Editing by Zeeshan Haider and Alex Richardson)