KHYBER: A tense calm prevailed in Yousafsoz-Khormatang area of Bara on Thursday after police and Frontier Corps evicted armed Akkakhel tribesmen from their trenches they had been occupying for nearly a week against each other.

Earlier, three policemen including Jamrud SHO Mohammad Akbar sustained minor injuries when armed members of Maroofkhel sub-tribe opened fire at the law enforcement agencies personnel late on Wednesday evening during a ‘cleanup’ operation in the area, situated on the border with Darra Adamkhel.

DPO Wasim Riaz told Dawn that situation was under control with most of the area cleansed of miscreants and at least 10 wanted tribesmen were arrested.

He said that the detained tribesmen were wanted in incidents of firing on police and putting on fire houses of their opponents.

He said that police also seized some arms and ammunition, which the rival groups had dumped at their trenches.

Local sources said that Maroofkhel tribesmen brought their womenfolk out of their homes in a large number against police and FC during the operation.

The women pelted stones at police while the armed men opened fire at them.

They said that armed tribesmen torched two police vehicles during the operation.

MPA Mohammad Shafeeq told Dawn that the two sub-tribes of Akkakhel including Meergutkhel and Maroofkhel had a four-decade old dispute over the ownership of hundreds of kanals of barren land.

He said that the dispute had so far claimed several lives and the two sub-tribes again took up arms against each other few days ago when some of the Meergutkhel families tried to rebuild their ruined houses, which were torched by their rivals sometimes back.

He said that the failure of previous political administrations of the then Khyber Agency to demarcate the disputed land resulted in armed clashes between the two sub-tribes of Akkakhel.

Assistant Commissioner Nek Mohammad said that efforts were underway to constitute a form a jirga of elders to defuse the tension and find out an acceptable solution to the longstanding land dispute.

Meanwhile, the district administration on Thursday gave away Rs1.9 million to the heirs of five persons, who lost their lives in a mortar shell explosion in Landi Kotal on Tuesday.

Commandant Khyber Rifles Col Rizwan Nazir also visited the house of the bereaved family and offered his condolences to the surviving members of the family.

Published in Dawn, July 2nd, 2021