Pakistani Taliban Saturday claimed to have killed a Polish engineer, who was abducted some three months ago, according to local press reports.

There was no official confirmation and a spokesman for the Polish embassy in Islamabad said that the Pakistani authorities had not informed them. But he said that he believed the engineer had been killed.

A Taliban spokesman who identified himself as Mohammad told media organizations over the phone from an unknown place that Peter Stanczak was beheaded in Pakistan's tribal region of South Waziristan after a Friday night deadline expired and the Pakistani and Polish governments did not contact the militants.

Gunmen ambushed Stanczak's vehicle in the Attock district, about 85 km from the capital Islamabad, on Sept. 28, 2008. They killed his driver and two guards before snatching Stanczak.

Mohammad, who represents Taliban in the country's tribal district of Darra Adam Khel, said that Taliban had held secret talks with the government through mediators and had demanded release of 61 colleagues.

Mohammad said that Taliban had agreed on the proposal about the release of 26 Taliban prisoners and a list was also given to the government.

He disclosed that the government had agreed to free four Taliban prisoners in the first phase as a goodwill gesture and Feb.4 was set as deadline and later it was extended till Feb. 6, but Taliban prisoners were not released.

Mohammad claimed that Taliban was offered a huge amount but they rejected the offer. He said that the Polish embassy also offered money through mediators but "we told the Polish embassy to put pressure on Pakistan to release Taliban prisoners".

The spokesman said that the dead body of the Polish engineer was in Taliban's control and the body would not be handed over unless their demands were accepted.

Mohammad said that the Polish engineer was kept in the tribal regions of Darra Adam Khel, Orakzai, Tirah and South Waziristan after he was kidnapped.

The Taliban in Darra Adam Khel tribal area have claimed responsibility days after he was seized.

The Polish engineer was once allowed to talk to local media, in which he appealed to the Polish government to pressurize the Pakistani government for his release.

Source: Xinhua