Pakistan official kidnapped in Swat Valley

MINGORA, Pakistan, Feb. 22 (UPI) -- A top local Pakistani official was kidnapped Sunday by unidentified gunmen in the Swat Valley, officials said.

Newly appointed District Coordination Officer Kushal Khan was on his way to take up his post when gunmen kidnapped him and his six security guards near Mingora, the valley's main city, officials told CNN.

The kidnapping came a day after a cease-fire between the government and Taliban militants was supposed to go into effect in the former northwestern Pakistan tourist region, now home to an anti-Islamabad militant insurgency.

Swat Valley Taliban commander Maulana Fazlullah was heard in a radio broadcast downplaying the cease-fire deal, CNN said. In the broadcast, Fazlullah reportedly said militants will continue their fight to impose Islamic law, or Shariah, in the region.