21 killed as militant groups clash in Khyber

PESHAWAR: Twenty-one people were killed in two days of clashes between two outlawed militant outfits in the Khyber tribal region, political authorities said on Sunday.  Local residents put the death toll at 50.

Meanwhile, at least 15 Taliban insurgents were killed in clashes with security forces in the neighbouring Orakzai Agency.

In Khyber Agency, clashes erupted in Tabai Bazaar of Landikotal tehsil when militants from the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) tried to kidnap a member of  the Lashkar-e-Islam, also a proscribed organisation. The two sides traded heavy fire, causing fatalities.

“Fighting intensified today as 21 militants from both sides were killed – 11 from the LI and 10 from the TTP,” a source in the political administration told The Express Tribune.

Local residents said fighting started after the two groups blamed each other of espionage. Skirmishes have also taken place between the two sides in the past.

There were claims that some key LI members – including Maulvi Abdur Rahim and Maulvi Uthman Khail – were also among the dead. Local sources said that the Lashkar had captured six TTP fighters, including Commander Tariq Bittani. They also claimed that more than 50 people were killed in fighting. However, there is no official confirmation of this death toll.

Several families have moved out of the area fearing that fighting may intensify between the two sides.

Security situation has been volatile in Khyber Agency due to fighting between the Lashkar-e-Islam and its rival Ansar-ul-Islam and the TTP.

Security forces say that Taliban militants fleeing operation in the neighbouring Orakzai Agency are seeking shelter in Khyber Agency.

In Orakzai Agency, security forces claim to have killed 15 more Taliban insurgents on Sunday.

The militants were killed in clashes in northern parts of Orakzai, including Khwagairi, Pakhtu Talab and Taloser. One paramilitary soldier also died in the fighting, conceded security forces. The army has recently said that operation against militants in Orakzai Agency has been completed. However, it says that “stabilisation” operations will continue for some time.

Meanwhile in South Waziristan, a statement has been issued by Ahmadzai Wazir tribe, Ulema and Mujahideen of Waziristan, saying that militants belonging to Hakimullah group and Zainuddin group of the Mehsud Taliban were a threat to peace in Wana sub-division. A cold war between these groups has disrupted activities of mujahideen in Afghanistan. Therefore these groups are cordially asked to vacate the region of Wana sub-division before the 12th of this month, the statement said.

Published in the Express Tribune, June 7^th, 2010.