GHALANAI, Oct 21: Two men were killed and a girl was injured when militants attacked the house of a pro-government tribal elder in Manzari Cheena area of Baizai tehsil here on Friday, officials said.

Assistant Political Agent Baizai Maqsood Hassan and Commandant Mohmand Rifles Col Mohammad Azeem later visited the house of Malik Noor and expressed condolence over the killings. They assured full cooperation to the bereaved families.

The security forces also conducted a search operation in the area to arrest the suspected militants.

APA Maqsood Hassan told Dawn that the rockets had been fired from across the border. He said that the security forces had taken positions to check cross-border movement of militants. The militants also blew up a government primary school in the Malik Sher locality of Atam Kalli in Baizai tehsil.

Residents said that the attackers planted explosives to the building which exploded after midnight, destroying the school. No loss of life was reported.Assistant agency education officer, Mohmand Agency, Dast Ali Khan when contacted confirmed the incident and said that the school building was recently constructed by the department.

It may be mentioned here that 82 schools have been destroyed in the entire Mohmand Agency so far, depriving more than 20,000 children of basic education facility.

Tehrik-i-Taliban Mohmand Agency ameer Umar Khalid's top aide Mukarram Khurasani claimed responsibility for the two attacks.

APP adds from Peshawar: Army has established checkposts along Pak-Afghan border in Dir to prevent intrusion by the militants into the country and it has completed the search operation in Barawal tehsil and adjacent areas, said operation commander, Dir, Brigadier Saqib Rashid on Friday.

Talking to APP, Brig Saqib Rashid said that 172 people, including security personnel, had been martyred and 478 wounded during incidents of insurgency while 70 terrorists were killed and hundreds of suspected persons arrested during the operation. Heavy weapons were also seized by the forces, he said and added that Barawal tehsil had been cleared of insurgents.

Terrorists, he said, had damaged about 200 schools and set many mosques ablaze in the area. He regretted that the terrorists had even burnt 840 copies of Holy Quran.

Brig Saqib highly commended the role of local people and peace committees (aman lashkars) for extending complete support to the forces during their operations. Peace committees had been established in all areas of Barawal that would keep an eye on any suspicious activity, he added.

He said that 10 army units were deployed in Barawal tehsil while security arrangements along the border with Afghanistan had been further strengthened.

He said that army had started rehabilitation activities in the area. Work on seven schools and many mosques was near completion. Likewise, army Jawans were also busy in rehabilitation of roads, infrastructure and other recreational places.

Replying to a question, Brig Saqib said that the provincial government had been consulted on the rehabilitation and development work, which would soon start its part of development work. He said the elders of local peace lashkars had pledged to purge their areas of the anti-state elements and were standing shoulder-to-shoulder with army.