PESHAWAR - Two policemen and 15 militants were killed in a recurrent clash when a group of about 100 militants attacked a check post twice in the Sarband area in the suburbs of the provincial metropolis. Sources said that about 100 militants equipped with sophisticated weapons and mortars attacked a strategically important Sangu Mera check post from Bara tehsil of Khyber Agency late Wednesday night. They said that the check post is situated some 10 kilometers north of the provincial capital. Policemen present at the post retaliated and the exchange of fire lasted for about three hours. The sources said the attackers were repulsed, but they regrouped and attacked the post again in a pre-dawn raid. In the retaliatory fire, at least 15 of the militants, including a key commander, were killed and several others injured. Two troops who were identified as Zahid Almas of the Elite Force and Laiq Ali, a constable of the Frontier Constabulary, embraced Shahadat, while five others policemen Fazal Rahim, Asif, Rehmat Shah, Shahid and Tariq were injured. Police officials said that the attackers also hurled hand grenades at the post. Soon after the first attack, reinforcements had been sent to the site. Taking advantage of the dark, the remaining militants escaped. It should be mentioned here that Sarband checkpoint was recently set up to protect Peshawar from increasing bomb attacks. Later, Nimaz-e-Janaza of police constable Zahid Almas was offered with full honour at Malik Saad Shaheed police lines in Peshawar. A contingent of police presented salute. Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Barrister Syed Masood Kausar, provincial police chief Fiaz Ahmad Toru, Additional IGP Commandant Elite Force Abdul Majeed Marwat, CCPO Peshawar Liaqat Ali Khan, Deputy Commandant Elite Force and other high ranking police officers attended the funeral. The dead body of Laiq Ali of the FC was sent to his hometown Swabi for burial and people from different walks of life attended his funeral there. Agencies add: Police said the assailants were believed to come from Pakistans Tehreek-e-Taliban faction or local warlord Mangal Baghs extremist group Lashkar-e-Islam, both of which have a presence in Khyber.