WANA, Oct 27: Three people were killed and two others wounded when paramilitary troops opened fire at a checkpoint, 10km west of here on Wednesday morning.
Official and local sources said that militiamen of the paramilitary Frontier Corps stopped a van near Azam Warsak close to the Pakistan-Afghanistan border to search the passengers.
The militiamen asked one passenger, identified as Osman, to alight from the vehicle for search. It was during the search that the passenger had an altercation with a militiaman.
Sources said that an FC jawan manning the checkpoint opened fire during a scuffle with Osman, killing him and two other passengers in the van identified as Feroz Khan Qarikhel Wazir and Akhwand Sulmanzai.
Two other passengers, medical representative Dr Khan and a dispenser at the Agency Headquarters Hospital, Omar Khan, were wounded in the firing and were hospitalized.
The ISPR, however, said that those killed were militants, including 65-year-old Feroz Khan.
"One of them fired on security forces and the security forces reacted to a hostile fire in which three people were killed. Obviously, if they fired at the security forces, the security forces would fire back, taking them for militants," Maj-Gen Shaukat Sultan said when approached for comments.
Locals who knew the three deceased said they were civilians and had nothing to do with militants operating in the region. "They were all innocent civilians," they insisted.
If true, this would be the second incident in two days that involved the death of civilians.
Ten people were killed and five others wounded when a shell hit a vehicle carrying pro-government tribesmen in Shaikh Ziarat near Spinkay Raghzay to help security forces clear a territory of militants.
Corps Commander, Peshawar, Lt-Gen Safdar Hussain has denied his troops had fired the shell but said he had ordered an inquiry into the incident.
He has announced cash compensation for the families of the deceased and those wounded.
Meanwhile, three soldiers were wounded in late night clashes between security forces and militants in Karwan Mianza. The three were later evacuated to the Combined Military Hospital in Bannu for treatment.
In Shakai, militants attempted to blow up a military vehicle through a remote-controlled Improvised Explosive Device (IED) but failed. The vehicle was slightly damaged in the blast, though, without causing any injury to soldiers.
Troops also shelled Spinkay Raghzay and the adjoining areas from the Scouts Fort at Jandola. No loss of life or property was reported.
The sources said that tribesmen were evacuating from Kotkai, Murghiband and Sheik Ziarat amid fear of an impending military operation. Families were seen moving towards Tank via Sra Rogha, Makeen and Razmak areas.
Security officials believe the 29-year-old tribal militant commander, Abdullah Mehsud, is hiding in Kotkai along with scores of his fighters. A one-legged former Guantanamo detainee, Abdullah is a self-confessed mastermind of Chinese engineers' kidnapping early this month.
