While fleeing: Four suspected militants held

Official says suicide jackets not recovered from culprits, assumes they might have ditched them while fleeing.

JAMRUD: Four suspected suicide bombers were arrested in Mullagori area of Jamrud tehsil of Khyber Agency on Friday. An official of the political administration, Shakil Umerzai said they were informed by Political Agent Shahab Ali Shah and the Peshawar police that four alleged suicide bombers travelling in a white car had entered Mullagori. He said in response, officials of security forces, khasadars and volunteers of a peace militia set up a check post at Marble Chowk and started checking all the vehicles. Umerzai said while the checking was going on, men dressed in khasadar fatigues were stopped in a car, adding they immediately started firing at security officials at the check post after being stopped. Following a brief exchange of fire, the attackers ditched their weapons and began running towards the hills. Security officials chased and successfully nabbed all four militants and shifted them to an undisclosed location. The official said suicide jackets were not recovered from the culprits and assumed they might have ditched them while fleeing.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 22^nd, 2014.