5 pro-govt militiamen slain in Khyber

BARA: An outlawed religious extremist group on Monday executed at least five members of a pro-government militia in the Bara tehsil of Khyber Agency.

Mangal Bagh Afridi’s Lashkar-e-Islam (LeI) group abducted 11 members of the peace militia, Tauheedul Islam (TuI), on Sunday from an area near Zakhakhel Bazaar, an official told The Express Tribune. “The bodies of five of them were later found dumped in the Kamarkhel area.” The official said the victims were not immediately identified. “All the abducted TuI members belonged to Zakhakhel tribe,” he added.

A purported spokesperson for the LeI, Salahuddin Ayubi, claimed responsibility for the slaying of the militiamen in a phone call to media outlets from an undisclosed location. He said the LeI Shura would decide the fate of the rest of the abductees. The Lashkar-e-Islam extremist group virtually held sway over parts of Bara before its fighters were routed from the area in a military operation in October last year.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 8^th,  2015.