Islamabad: One of the two Chinese hostages and their five al-Qaeda linked kidnappers were killed today (Oct 14, 2004) after Pakistani security forces stormed the hideout of the abductors in a tribal area near Afghan border.

The other hostage was rescued in the military operation, which was conducted as the negotiations between tribal elders and the militants holding the two Chinese engineers captive failed, military spokesman Maj Gen Shaukat Sultan said.

The two Chinese engineers along with a Pakistani guard and a driver were abducted near Jandula in Pakistan's South Waziristan Tribal agency bordering Afghanistan on Saturday (Oct 9, 2004).

The Chinese embassy sources in Islamabad said that one of the hostages had died while other was rescued with injuries.

China's State-run Xinhua news agency said the injured hostage was being rushed to a hospital in Islamabad.

Earlier reports said that one Chinese engineer was injured but later it was confirmed that he succumbed to injuries.

Officials said the body of the hostage is expected to be sent to Islamabad later in the day.

Military spokesman Sultan said the security forces stormed the compound, where the two Chinese were kept.

He said the operation was launched after the failure of negotiations with the captors and their leader Abdullah Mehsud. He said relatives of Mehsud also failed to convince him to free the hostages.

The Chinese hostages were working on a water dam and a canal in the tribal area for China National Water Resources and Hydropower Engineering Group Corporation.

Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed also said the five kidnappers were killed in the military operation.