Nowshehra shootout leaves four injured

NOWSHEHRA - Nowshehra police after an encounter with the alleged militants, in which four people were injured, Thursday succeeded in unearthing a den of militants in the adjacent village Badrashi. As per details, the Nowshehra police during routine patrolling signalled  a motorcar to stop but the occupants ignoring the signal accelerated their speed. However, the police party chased the motorcar, which stopped on the main gate of Madani Masjid in Mohalla Sulaimankhel in village Badrashi. The Madani mosque and madrasa is run by Qari Kamran Ahmad. He is affiliated with a jihadi group since long. The police officials informed that the alleged miscreants from inside the mosque opened fire against them when they netted the driver of the motorcar. The militants used modern and sophisticated weapons. At the very outset of the encounter, the driver of the motorcar was injured along with a policeman and a passer-by. The encounter between the police force and the alleged militants continued for over one hour with brief intervals. Later the alleged miscreants succeeded in slipping away to adjacent residential area. The police officials later on deployed further contingents all over the area, embarking on a detailed search. The police officials informed that huge quantity of modern and sophisticated weapons was recovered from motorcar, mosque and madrasa. Similarly, a huge quantity of Jihadi literature, CD's and videotapes were recovered from various portions of madrasa and mosque. The injured militant was identified as Qari Hussain Amin. According to police, he introduced himself as a militant from North Waziristan Agency. He was shifted to Peshawar for interrogation.  AFP adds: Local Taliban militants Thursday gave music shop owners and drug dealers a 10-day deadline to close down or face the consequences, local officials and residents said. Using megaphones, the hardline rebels drove through Mir Ali town in the semi-autonomous tribal region of North Waziristan bordering Afghanistan to deliver the chilling warning, they said. The ultimatum came a day after three people were wounded and around two dozen shops destroyed by bombs planted at music shops in conservative northwestern Pakistan. "Drugs and music shops are destroying the tribal culture. We will not allow this conspiracy in our area," Miranshah shopkeeper Enayat Khan quoted the Taliban as saying. "We will follow their order. We don't want to take the risk, we will change our business to survive," another shopkeeper said, requesting not to be identified. Local administration officials confirmed the announcement. They said they gave a similar deadline to tribesmen to stop selling opium, alcohol and hashish in the lawless region. Mir Ali is the second biggest town in North Waziristan, a Taliban stronghold. Militants blew up some two dozen video and music shops in the region's main town Miranshah after the expiry of another deadline this week.Militants have bombed dozens of entertainment shops in the region in recent years, saying that music and movies are against the teachings of Islam. They are seeking to emulate the ultra-orthodox Taliban who ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001 and also banned music.

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