Restive frontiers: 9 killed in blast at militant compound in Tirah
Six militants dead in a clash with security forces in North Waziristan
Six militants dead in a clash with security forces in North Waziristan. STOCK IMAGE
BANNU/ORAKZAI/BARA:
A mysterious blast ripped through a compound of suspected militants in the remote Tirah Valley of Khyber Agency on the night between Thursday and Friday, killing at least nine extremists.
The compound in the Sipah area of Tirah belonged to the Mangal Bagh-led Lashkar-e-Islam (LeI) extremist group, according to officials. Officially, there was no word on the nature of the blast, but tribal sources said it occurred in the explosives stockpiled in the compound.
People in the mountainous region make fire to keep themselves warm in winters which are usually harsh in the valley. And it is believed that such a fire might have triggered the blast in the explosives. The blast was so powerful that it flattened the compound and killed seven suspected militants on the spot and another two succumbed to their injuries later on.
The victims could not be immediately identified – but local sources said most of them hailed from Bara subdivision of Khyber Agency and belonged to the LeI – the group that virtually held sway over Bara until mid-October when security forces launched a major operation, codenamed Khyber-I, in the region. The operation is said to be mainly focused on the LeI in which over 400 militants have so far surrendered.
In neighbouring Orakzai Agency, a civilian employee of the paramilitary Orakzai Scouts force was killed and four others were wounded in a rocket attack on a mosque on Friday.
Militants based in the Akakhel area of Khyber fired two rockets at the headquarters of the Orakzai Scouts in Kalaya, the administrative headquarters of Orakzai Agency. One rocket landed in a playground while the other slammed into a mosque where Friday prayers were in progress. As a result, Munawar Shah, a clerk at the Orakzai Scouts headquarters, was killed on the spot and four others were injured who were immediately airlifted to the CMH in a helicopter.
Orakzai has seen an upsurge in militant violence since the launch of Operation Khyber-I in Tirah Valley and Bara.
Separately, at least six militants were killed in a clash with security forces in the Data Khel area of North Waziristan Agency where military operation Zarb-e-Azb has been ongoing since mid-June. Officials said the clash happened when militants ambushed advancing troops in a Data Khel village, situated near the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
At least six attackers were killed in the clash which was followed by a search operation in the area and artillery fire on suspected hideouts of militants. The military claims to have killed more than 1,300 militants since Operation Zarb-e-Azb was launched in North Waziristan – one of the seven tribal agencies where local and foreign militants had carved out a safe haven.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 10th, 2015.
A mysterious blast ripped through a compound of suspected militants in the remote Tirah Valley of Khyber Agency on the night between Thursday and Friday, killing at least nine extremists.
The compound in the Sipah area of Tirah belonged to the Mangal Bagh-led Lashkar-e-Islam (LeI) extremist group, according to officials. Officially, there was no word on the nature of the blast, but tribal sources said it occurred in the explosives stockpiled in the compound.
People in the mountainous region make fire to keep themselves warm in winters which are usually harsh in the valley. And it is believed that such a fire might have triggered the blast in the explosives. The blast was so powerful that it flattened the compound and killed seven suspected militants on the spot and another two succumbed to their injuries later on.
The victims could not be immediately identified – but local sources said most of them hailed from Bara subdivision of Khyber Agency and belonged to the LeI – the group that virtually held sway over Bara until mid-October when security forces launched a major operation, codenamed Khyber-I, in the region. The operation is said to be mainly focused on the LeI in which over 400 militants have so far surrendered.
In neighbouring Orakzai Agency, a civilian employee of the paramilitary Orakzai Scouts force was killed and four others were wounded in a rocket attack on a mosque on Friday.
Militants based in the Akakhel area of Khyber fired two rockets at the headquarters of the Orakzai Scouts in Kalaya, the administrative headquarters of Orakzai Agency. One rocket landed in a playground while the other slammed into a mosque where Friday prayers were in progress. As a result, Munawar Shah, a clerk at the Orakzai Scouts headquarters, was killed on the spot and four others were injured who were immediately airlifted to the CMH in a helicopter.
Orakzai has seen an upsurge in militant violence since the launch of Operation Khyber-I in Tirah Valley and Bara.
Separately, at least six militants were killed in a clash with security forces in the Data Khel area of North Waziristan Agency where military operation Zarb-e-Azb has been ongoing since mid-June. Officials said the clash happened when militants ambushed advancing troops in a Data Khel village, situated near the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
At least six attackers were killed in the clash which was followed by a search operation in the area and artillery fire on suspected hideouts of militants. The military claims to have killed more than 1,300 militants since Operation Zarb-e-Azb was launched in North Waziristan – one of the seven tribal agencies where local and foreign militants had carved out a safe haven.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 10th, 2015.