BAJAUR, Nov 11: Fifteen persons received injuries during aerial firing started by people after hearing rumours on Saturday evening about recapturing of Mazar-i-Sharif by the Taliban and arrest of Abdul Rasheed Dostum.

Seven of the injured were stated to be in critical condition here at the agency headquarters hospital. Most of the 15 injured persons were women and children.

The aerial firing started at about 6pm and continued till 9pm when finally people came to know that the recapturing of Mazar-i-Sharif was only a rumour.

The jubilant people came out on roads and streets when the rumour spread like a jungle fire here. Initially, people received the news from private FM Channel that Taliban have recaptured Mazar-i- Sharif and killed or captured about 5,000 men of the Northern Alliance including 1000 US commandos. There were also rumours that General Rasheed Dostum and General Faheem were either killed or captured by the Taliban.

The entire atmosphere in the agency reverberated with gun shots. Some of the jubilant tribals were even using rocket launchers and light cannons. Later on, when the BBC news did not confirm the rumours the firing started dying down.