A government official says Pakistani authorities have asked tribal elders to help rescue 23 policemen who appear to have been kidnapped by the Taliban, The Associated Press reported.

The tribal policemen went missing Thursday, Dec 27, when militants armed with rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons attacked two posts before dawn in Pakistan's northwest tribal region, the main sanctuary for al-Qaida and Taliban fighters in the country. Two policemen were killed in the attacks.

Government administrator Naveed Akbar Khan said Friday that authorities plan meetings with tribal elders in the two villages where the attacks occurred in the Darra Adam Khel tribal region.

Tribal law stipulates that the elders could be punished for attacks that occurred in their areas. Security forces have also launched an operation to try to recover the missing policemen.