TANK, March 7: A 15-member jirga comprising elders from the North Waziristan Agency went to Azam Warsak in South Waziristan on Wednesday to resolve a dispute between foreign militants and Darikhel tribesmen.

Authorities in Tank said that Maulana Alam Muhammad Dawar, who headed the jirga, had brokered a ceasefire between the warring groups in the troubled area near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border and talks were under way.

It may be mentioned that clashes erupted between armed supporters of pro-government tribal elder Malik Saadullah Darikhel and foreign militants in Azam Warsak on Tuesday.

The authorities confirmed that 12 of the dead and 11 wounded were foreign militants. Three local Taliban were also killed in the clash.

However, the casualty figures could not be confirmed from independent sources.

Malik Saadullah heads a peace committee in the area working to counter the influence of foreigners who are supported by local militants.

An official of the political administration of South Waziristan told Dawn in Tank that the foreign militants had kidnapped three relatives of Malik Saadullah and set fire to three houses and vehicles of Darikhel tribesmen.

Agencies add: A federal minister said on Wednesday that the gunbattle between tribesmen and foreign militants near the Afghan frontier showed that Pakistan’s shift away from direct military action against Al Qaeda and Taliban fighters was paying off.