WANA, Jan 29: Snipers shot dead a tribesman and his young son in Wana bazaar, South Waziristan Agency, on Saturday. Authorities believed that suspected militants were killing tribesmen who supported the security forces during operation in the area.

Eyewitnesses said Hayatullah Mehsud and his son Pir Alam were passing through Wana bazaar in a taxi at about 8am when three masked men opened fire on their vehicle from a close location, killing them on the spot, and fled in a car.

The bodies were taken to Tiarza in the Serwekai sub-division. Official sources said motive behind the murder could not be ascertained. However, it was stated that Hayatullah Mehsud had been targeted for assisting the security forces during a military operation against militants in Tiarza area of the South Waziristan.

They said the military authorities had gifted a G-3 gun and class-IV job to Hayatullah for helping the security forces in the area.