AfPax Insider has obtained video of two kidnapped and visibly distraught Chinese engineers appealing for their release after they were kidnapped August 29 in Pakistan's North-West Frontier Province.
The Pakistani Taliban say they abducted the Chinese and are holding them captive.
In the video , one of the captives says the Taliban want to swap them for a Taliban member in Pakistani government custody.
The two-minute video, believed to have been shot on or around September 15, is the first proof-of-life imagery of the Chinese hostages.
Here is a translated transcript of what's said on the video by one of the Chinese hostages:
"We are Chinese citizens, working Pakistan Zhongxin Company for construction work. On August 29th, on our way back from work, we have been abducted by Taliban. We really want to go home and see our family. We have been here for 18 days already, we can’t hold on any longer. The Taliban said that if the govt releases their friend, they’d let us go. Pakistani govt, Chinese Embassy, please save us! We can’t hold on any longer, we really want to go home."Here's background on the kidnapping and the hostages.
AfPax Insider is the soon-to-launch sister service of IraqSlogger, which will feature AfPax scoops in advance of the service's formal launch.
