Iran Says 12 Hostages Freed In Pakistan

(RFE/RL) August 20, 2007 -- Iranian police say 12 people who were kidnapped by militants in southeastern Iran and taken into neighboring Pakistan have been freed by Pakistani police.

An Iranian police spokesman today said the 12 hostages, who were abducted on August 19 on the road between the towns of Chabahar and Iranshahr in Sistan-Baluchistan Province, were freed in a Pakistani police operation.

The province of Sistan-Baluchistan, which borders Afghanistan and Pakistan, has been the site of repeated militant attacks and is a conduit for narcotics moving through Iran from Afghanistan.

Two Belgian tourists were kidnapped in the same region last week. One of the tourists is apparently still being held, while a female hostage has been released.

(AFP, dpa)