The mother of an American kidnapped in Pakistan pleaded for his freedom today, describing her son as a “very gentle person” devoted to his humanitarian work.

THE Taliban announced a 10-day ceasefire in Pakistan’s Swat Valley yesterday after freeing a Chinese hostage during peace talks with the government, while an abducted American threatened with imminent death by his kidnappers remained missing.

Dozens of followers of Pakistan’s top Taliban leader were in a compound when a suspected US missile attack hit today, killing 27 militants in an al-Qaida stronghold near the Afghan border, officials said.

Gunmen kidnapped an American UN official and killed his driver in southwest Pakistan today, underscoring the security threat in a country wracked by al-Qaida violence and rising criminalit