KHYBER AGENCY - Five militants were killed in security forces’ shelling on militant hideouts here on Wednesday in Tirah Valley of Khyber Agency which was done after twin roadside blast claimed lives of two FC personnel and a local peace lashkar member in Landi Kotal tehsil of the same tribal district.
The troops stationed in Bazaar Zakha Khel of tehsil Landi Kotal carried out heavy shelling on suspected sanctuaries of the militants in Drewand, Aarina, Wananra and Zor Kalli areas of Tirah Valley.
Security sources claimed heavy causalities on militants, all said to be from defunct Laskar-e-Islam (LI); however, it could not be confirmed from the militants.
They claimed that four strongholds of the militants were demolished in the offense. Five militants were killed and eight of them were wounded in the shelling, the sources said. It is learnt that the forces took the action after two roadside blasts in Zakha Khel area martyred two soldiers of Frontier Corps (FC) and armed member of peace lashkar, besides wounding two other soldiers. The official sources said the FC personnel along with armed persons of Tauheed-ul-Islam (Zakha Khel peace lashkar) were on their way on foot when unknown militants targeted them with bombs fixed on the roadside in Paindi Cheena area of Bazaar Zakha Khel, the remote area of Khyber bordering with Afghanistan.
In the first explosion the two soldiers and the Tauheed-ul-Islam man were killed on the spot. In the second blast two FC soldiers were injured, sources said. The deceased were identified as sepoy Zameen Khan, resident of Charsadda, sepoy Hamid Khan of Lakki Marwat and Rahmatullah, who belonged to Bazaar Zakha Khel.
After the blasts the security forces cordoned off the whole area and airlifted the bodies and the wounded to Peshawar military hospital through helicopter, sources said.
The forces also launched a search operation in the area.
Since long numerous militants fictions like Lashkar-e-Islam, Ansar-ul-Islam, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan etc have been active in the area and besides targeting security forces they have been engaged in turf war with one another.