Targeted again: Funeral of peace militiamen fired upon

KHAR: Heavy gunfire by unidentified militants from Afghanistan rained on the funeral of four peace militia members killed on Thursday night in Rawalpindi’s Raja Bazaar. The funeral was being held in the Charmang area of Nawagai, Bajaur Agency on Friday. Political administration official Sohail Khan confirmed the incident and said the peace militia members of Nawagai, Sher Zaman and Sher Bahadar, and their relatives Hazrat Ali and Rahimullah, were targeted in Rawalpindi. He said at about 4pm, the funeral near the Pak-Afghan border came under heavy gunfire from across the border, however, no casualty was reported. Charmang is a border town adjacent to Afghanistan’s Kunar province and has frequently seen incidents of cross-border firing.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 14^th, 2013.