SEVERAL foreign journalists have been taken hostage by pro-Taliban protesters near Peshawar in Pakistan, according to unconfirmed reports. The journalists were believed to have been trying to get near the Afghan border when they were captured and blindfolded. It is not known where they have been taken. The area around Pakistan’s borders with Afghanistan had been a no-go area for western journalists but the group, made up of TV journalists, is understood to have tried to get close to the borders to witness the military strikes. The security forces in Pakistan had earlier telephoned hotels where foreign journalists were staying to warn them of a heightened threat to their security. Many have been told to stay locked inside their hotel rooms after anti-western protests in Pakistan turned violent. Angry demonstrators brandishing placards of Osama bin Laden and shouting ”death to America” have been marching through several Pakistani cities including Peshawar to protest against the US-led strikes on Afghanistan. – The Guardian