LANDI KOTAL, Jan 21: An activist of a religious organisation was killed and three others were injured when two rival groups traded fire in the remote Tirah valley on Tuesday.

Reports received from the area said activists of the local religious group launched an armed attack against Qambarkhel tribesmen when the latter refuse to hoist flags of the former atop their houses.

The two sides exchanged fire with light and heavy weaponry, which resulted in the killing of an Ansarul Islam activist and injuries to three others. The Qambarkhel tribesmen were able to repulse the attack, sources.

Meanwhile, a jirga of Zakhakhel elders and the Khyber Agency political administration regarding release of arrested tribesmen ended inconclusive.

A jirga member, Malak Khalid Khan Zakhakhel, told Dawn that the administration had earlier imposed a fine of Rs500,000 each on those arrested during the ongoing military operation in the Landi Kotal tehsil. He said they apprised the administration of their inability to pay the fine.

The administration agreed to lower the fine up to Rs100,000, but the jirga members refuse to pay any fine and wanted unconditional release of the detainees.

Officials said 48 tribesmen had been arrested in Landi Kotal on the charge of assisting and providing shelter to militants and outlaws.

They said they had told the jirga that no blockade of the Peshawar-Torkham highway would be tolerated and those who violated the rules would be heavily fined. The jirga decided to meet again on Saturday.

NIGERIAN’S BODY: The body of a Nigerian national was found in the Shakas area of the Jamrud tehsil, Khyber Agency, here on Wednesday, officials said.

They said the foreigner, who was identified as Patrick, had no valid travel documents. He had been shot in the head and his body also had marks of violence. The Khasadar force took the body into custody.

Sources said a written chit was also found on the body stating that the man was killed on the charge of spying for the US.

They said the only identity card found with the body stated that the man was presently living in Gulberg, Lahore.

Residents and officials said Africans often visited the area to smuggle narcotics to their countries. They said the Nigerian might have been killed by drug dealers he was visiting in the area.

The sources said the chit was probably placed on the body to give the impression that he was in the area to spy for the Americans.

HAND PUMPS: To overcome shortage of drinking water in the Bara tehsil of Khyber, the political administration installed 50 hand pumps in different localities.

An official handout said residents of Kajorai had been facing water shortage for a long time and area elders had approached the local administration to solve the problem.

With the installation of the hand pumps, 17,500 people would have access to clean drinking water in the area, the handout said.