LANDI KOTAL, Aug 11: Three volunteers of a peace committee were killed and one went missing when they clashed with members of banned Lashkar-i-Islam (LI) in Bara tehsil of Khyber Agency on the night between Friday and Saturday.
Officials said that gun battle took place in Meelwat area of Akkakhel when LI carried out a midnight attack on a base of Akkakhel Peace Committee. They said that in the two-hour of intense shootout, three volunteers of the peace committee lost their lives while one was abducted by LI. It was also learnt that LI also torched the compound where the peace volunteers were based. LI spokesman in the area claimed to have killed peace volunteers whose bodies were in their possession.
An important local commander of LI, Said Rehman, along with his bodyguard was killed in a roadside bomb blast in the same area three days ago. Tough nobody claimed responsibility for his killing, yet LI suspected that local peace volunteers were involved in the attack.
In Jamrud, a truck driver was critically injured when an improvised explosive device, planted along roadside near Takhta Beg checkpost, went off on Saturday morning.
The blast also caused minor damage to a container taking cement to Afghanistan. The injured driver identified as Abdullah Jan belonged to Nangarhar province of Afghanistan.
Attacks on vehicles taking goods to Afghanistan have intensified since resumption of Nato supplies through Khyber Pass in early July. So far, two drivers have lost their lives while two others have been injured in at least four such attacks.
Another driver was killed and his cleaner critically injured when tyre of a moving vehicle burst at Torkham border on Saturday afternoon. The dead and injured both belonged to Afghanistan.
In Dera Ismail Khan, a volunteer of a tribal peace committee was killed and his friend injured when unidentified motorcyclists opened firing on them. Police quoted injured Maazuddin Mehsud as saying that he and Abdur Rehman Mehsud were going to the city when the gunmen riding a motorcycle attacked them near Tausifabad. Abdur Rehman was killed on the spot.
He said that Abdur Rehman was a member of a peace committee and the attackers belonged to Baitullah Mehsud group of Taliban.
In Orakzai Agency, a remote controlled explosive device, loaded on a donkey, exploded in Ferozkhel area on Saturday.
Eyewitnesses said that the blast damaged three shops. However, no loss of life was reported.
They said that the explosive device was tied with the donkey. Security forces besieged the area and carried out a search operation.
Eight suspected persons were arrested during the operation.
In Mohmand Agency, security forces recovered an improvised explosive device during a search operation in Mian Mandi area of on Saturday.
Officials said that the IED was planted along the main road. Security forces safely defused the device and launched an operation in the surrounding areas. However, no arrest was made during the operation.
