LANDI KOTAL, July 27: At least four children were killed and three persons including two women received critical injuries on Monday during an armed clash between two rival religious groups in Narhao-Bagh area of the remote Tirah valley in Khyber Agency.

The two rival religious factions, Tanzim Amr Bilmaroof Wa Nahi Anil Munkir headed by Haji Namdar Qambarkhel and Tanzim Ihle Sunnath Wal Jamaat headed by Pir Abdul Qadir had deployed their armed supporters against each other in Narhao and Khujalkhel areas respectively.

Heavy exchange of gunfire continued since Monday morning. The four minors lost their lives and their relatives were injured when a mortar shell hit the house of one Mohammad Noor.

Sources in Bara told Dawn that the two religious organizations had sharp differences over the observance of certain religious rituals and were at loggerheads with each other for the last six months on religious matters.

The head of Tanzim Ihle Sunnah Wal Jamaat had reportedly challenged his rival faction for a debate on contentious issues, which Haji Namdar refused, sources said. Later Pir Abdul Qadir gave Haji Namdar and his supporters a one-week deadline to leave the area or face reprisal.

Upon the expiry of the deadline on Monday morning, the two groups started shelling on each other's positions with heavy weaponry. Garnering actual information about the current situation was very difficult due to lack of communication means in the area.

However, certain informations were gathered from families who had migrated from the area due to tense situation. The Haji Namdar organization was founded in Berra Bara area of Tirah one and a half year ago. The young Haji had received his religious education from Saudi Arabia where he had lived for around eight years.

He later expanded the activities of his organization to Bara tehsil and earned a lot of support when he abolished all illegal check posts in Qambarkhel area, which were established by certain outlaws for collecting illegal toll tax from goods, smuggled in from Afghanistan.

Haji Namdar earned more prominence when he established a secret FM radio station in Bar Qambarkhel area. For the radio transmission, he acquired the services of Mufti Munir Shakir a religious scholar from Kurram Agency.

The local authorities from Kurram Agency had some times back expelled the Mufti due to his extreme sectarian views. The radio had a limited broadcast of religious programmes for less than an hour during night times.

The Mufti later developed differences with Haji Namdar and instead established another FM radio station, although secretly in Malikdin Khel area with the support of local elders.

The local elders too had differences with Haji Namdar for the establishment of a private prison, Al-madina in Ismail Abad village of Bar Qambarkhel and administering of some harsh punishments to suspect criminals.

One of Haji Namdar's close relatives Gulabat Khan was killed during a jirga by his rivals where he was accused of providing shelter to certain Arab families in 1996 in Tirah area. The Arab families had reportedly fled from Afghanistan during mid 90s.

Later after the killing of Gulabat Khan, all these Arab families were expelled from Tirah by the supporters of a religious leader Saib Gul, who also was an Afghan refugee.