One militant, 8 militiamen killed in Khyber Agency skirmish

Battle fought between Toheedul Islam, Lashkar-e-Islam over the occupancy of a strategically located Thana check post.

PESHAWAR: Nine people including one militant and eight volunteers of a peace militia were killed on Sunday in a 12-hour-long skirmish in the Bukaar area of the Tirah valley in Khyber Agency.

According to officials, the battle was fought between Toheedul Islam and Lashkar-e-Islam over the occupancy of a strategically located Thana check post.

The check post was under the control of the peace militia Toheedul Islam which was taken over by the Lashkar-e-Islam and after a firefight in the area, three members of the peace militia were killed last night.

However, the peace militia continued to retaliate in order to recover the check post and after the battle which stretched over the night, they succeeded today morning.

An official of the political administration said that the militants left an explosive device in the Landi Kotal area which killed six members of Toheedul Islam. Assistant Political Agent Khalid Mumtaz confirmed the attack.

Bukaar, a far flung area in the Tirah valley administratively falls under the Landi Kotal sub-division. Hundreds of people have lost their lives in clashes between militant outfits based on sectarianism.

However, the war between the factions has recently shifted to Peshawar and its outskirts where officials have traced back many suicide bombings and target killings to the Lashkar-e-Islam who have been vociferous about the notion that their opposed groups are supported by the government.