February 01, 2007	Thursday	Muharram 12, 1428

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LANDI KOTAL (Khyber Agency), Jan 31: Three people were killed and another was injured when two groups of activists of the Lashkar-i-Islam clashed in Bara on Tuesday. Sources said some Lashkar men were on their routine patrol in the Kohi Sher Haider area when a young man quarrelled with some of his senior colleagues on a petty issue. The two groups opened fire at each other after an exchange of hot words.

Three men died on the spot and another received bullet injuries. The dead belonged to Qambarkhel and Sipah tribes. Two of the victims were identified as Ghanam Khan and Lal Gul.

Meanwhile, the grand jirga, constituted by the Khyber Agency political administration to broker a ceasefire between the Lashkar-i-Islam and the Ansaar-ul-Islam, will resume negotiations with representatives of the two groups in Bara on Thursday. The jirga had earlier suspended its proceedings due to Muharram holidays.

The two groups have chosen 10 members each to negotiate a peace deal with the jirga on their behalf. A jirga member and agency councillor Hashim Khan expressed the optimism that a ceasefire could be reached in the coming few days.

He said the jirga was in touch with Maulana Mehboob and Mangal Bagh, leaders of the Ansaar-ul-Islam and the Lashkar-i-Islam, respectively, and both had expressed their willingness to abide by the jirga decision.

It is learnt that an activist of the Ansaar-ul-Islam, Maulana Mustamin, has blocked supply routes of his rival group at Naree Baba and the area people are faced with shortage of food supplies.

A source said prices of almost all commodities had gone up due to the blockade of supply routes.