Militants destroy two shrines in Khyber Agency

Militants blow up two shrines in Landi Kotal, caretaker of another shrine killed in Bara.


Iftikhar Firdous December 10, 2011

PESHAWAR: Militants have blown up two shrines in Landi Kotal and a caretaker of another shrine was killed in the Bara area, an official of the Khyber Agency Political Administration confirmed on Saturday.

The official said that militants destroyed two very old shrines in the Kam Shalman area, which is close to the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, at around 10:30pm on December 9.

“These shrines were those of Sheikh Bahadar Baba and Sheikh Nisa Baba,” he said while speaking to The Express Tribune.

“The militants blew up the shrine of Bahadar Baba by placing a bomb in it, razing it to the ground. While the shrine of Sheikh Nisa was burnt down to ashes when the militants set it ablaze,” the official said.

The Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has carried out similar attacks in the same area in the past.

Caretaker killed

A middle-aged man was killed by unknown gunmen at the Baisai Baba shrine on Saturday, officials confirmed. Authorities could not immediately confirm the identity of the man, but he was recognised as the “caretaker of the shrine”.

Sources said the Basai Baba shrine had earlier been closed by militant outfit Lashkar-e-Islam (LeI).

More than 25 shrines across Pakistan have been attacked since 2005, resulting in the deaths of more than 200 people. More than 55 people were killed in August this year when a suicide bomber detonated during Friday prayers at a mosque in Jamrud, Khyber Agency.

A surgical operation was launched in Khyber Agency after a number of security personnel were killed and government installations were attacked.

Militant factions have also been fighting amongst themselves on sectarian grounds.

COMMENTS (11)

Zia Ur Rehman | 12 years ago | Reply

Attacks on Sufi shrines in KP and FATA are aimed at parting ways with established cultural norms and constructing a new identity born out of extremism. read in detail http://wp.me/pXYKS-3L

Maryam | 12 years ago | Reply

Let's give peace a chance and let's negotiate with these terrorists. Let them destroy our shrines and schools but let them not tell anything. Let us all say to them Give Peace a Chance. Let them destroy us and let us say Give Peace a chance.

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