Locals fled fighting between LI and peace militia members.
Skirmishes between Lashker-e-Islam (LI) militants and local peace militia members had been ongoing since the past few days, said Lalmat Khan, a resident of the area. After rumours spread that LI had gained control of the entire area of Akka Khel and were killing members of the peace militia, locals started fleeing from their homes.
These people reached Mattani and Ghaziabad area on Thursday night where locals gave them shelter. They were also provided with food and blankets to keep themselves warm, said Khan.
“I came here with my wife and other women of the family, leaving everything behind. My two sons who work in a factory fled from the other side and were not able to contact us till late night,” said another local, Mir Baz Afridi. He added the village was evacuated and people left in haste without even taking their belongings with them.
Ex-Nazim of Mattani union council told The Express Tribune many women and children came without men. “We kept these helpless people in our hujras and gave them food and other items.”
A tribesman, Muhammad Arif, said around 120 displaced men could not make it to the settled areas. They took refuge in a nearby nullah for the night as they were heavily armed and afraid of the local police and militants.
“It is a tradition to own automatic rifles and guns, but these days the police and security forces brand you as a militant if they catch you with a gun,” said Arif, adding those with arms had no option but to stay within the jurisdiction of Khyber Agency, keeping a safe distance from militants and the police.
Some of the people who reached Mattani were those who had fled Tirah valley and had taken shelter in Akka Khel after Taliban gained control of the valley a month earlier. On Friday morning, when the situation cleared, people started returning to their homes in Akka Khel.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 13th, 2013.
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