October 08, 2008	Wednesday	Shawwal 08, 1429

KOHAT, Oct 7: A tribal Lashkar destroyed two houses and three training centres of the Taliban in the Alikhel area of the Orakzai Agency while a jirga in Hangu swapped 16 militants with five security personnel on Tuesday.

The armed Lashkar of the 18 tribes of the Orakzai Agency has been conducting operation for the last three days against militants involved in terrorist activities in settled parts of the province.

The Lashkar is commanded by a 160-member committee of the tribal elders, which captures and suggests punishments for militants and their harbourers.

Meanwhile, the jirga and the Taliban swapped 16 militants with five security personnel -- three policemen and two army men captured and kidnapped during the Doaba operation in August.

The security personnel handed over to jirga head Faizullah included policemen Sirajullah and Ahmadullah of Timergara and Sharifzada of Buner and army men Ahmad Rehman and Sardar Ahmad of the 35 Punjab Regiment, Abbottabad, and the Thall Scouts, respectively.

Officials said there were still more than 22 government employees of various department and security personnel in the custody of the Taliban, who wanted the release of all their captured men whose number was about 110. These militants had been arrested from different parts of Hangu, and Darra Adamkhel during the last nine months.