July 15, 2008	Tuesday	Rajab 11, 1429

KOHAT, July 14: Militants blew up a Frontier Constabulary fort in the Shinawarai area of Hangu district on Monday night after looting arms and ammunition.

Witnesses said that about 250 militants had besieged the fort, 30kms from Hangu town, and asked FC personnel to vacate it or face action.

After some time, the personnel decided to leave the fort. They were given ‘safe passage’ by the assailants.The militants entered the fort and loaded their vehicles with arms and ammunition. “Later, they planted explosives in the fort and blew it up,” a local man said.

Hangu district has experienced a spate of terrorist attacks over the past two days since the arrest of seven local Taliban.

Meanwhile, a driver who survived Saturday’s attack on a FC convoy in Hangu has nominated in the FIR six people who, according to him, had taken FC personnel to militants under a conspiratorial plan.

Fifteen FC men were killed in the ambush.Hangu district SSP Mohammad Idrees told Dawn on Monday that an influential political figure was behind the conspiracy. He said the politician, who commanded several gangs of kidnappers, professional assassins and fugitives, had been active in the area for 20 years.

Those nominated in the FIR are Syed Mahmood, an Afghan refugee, Jan Akbar, Subedar Sayed Baz, Miral Khan, Shah Nawaz and Syedullah.

The SSP said that army and police personnel had launched an operation in Zargari, Naryab and Tora Warai areas to trace the culprits.

Artillery from Doaba pounded hills between Orakzai Agency and Hangu district.

He said the commander of 73-brigade had been appointed incharge of the field operation and security forces would work under his command.

Witnesses said artillery fires had frightened locals. They said two bombs hit the Naryab Dam which was not damaged. Any damage to the dam would have caused a large-scale destruction, they said.

Meanwhile, a 100-member jirga of local elders and parliamentarians has urged the government to withdraw army troops from the area, release the captured Taliban, end the search operation, lift the curfew from Doaba and resume talks with militants. The jirga members want the government to allow them to take a peace message to Taliban commander Mullah Sanaullah and bring him to the negotiation table.