0
LANDI KOTAL, Jan 10: Security forces on Saturday destroyed two houses and a warehouse and also blew up a bridge in Khyber Agency to restrict the activities of criminal groups and militants in the area.
Officials said that two houses and a warehouse destroyed in Wazir Dhand locality of Jamrud tehsil were the properties of an Afghan national Ubaidullah and a local Haji Gulas Khan who were allegedly involved in drug smuggling and hijacking containers.
Before blowing up these buildings, the khasadar force also reportedly recovered 5,000 flour bags from the warehouse meant to be smuggled to Afghanistan.
Security forces also blew up a bridge on the Zakhakhel road connecting Landi Kotal to Ziyarai bazaar. Officials said that the said road had been frequently used by the criminal gangs involved in a number of abduction cases. Ziyarai area is said to have become a strong base of criminals and a number of abducted persons are believed to have been kept there.
The strategically important Ziyarai checkpost, which overlooks the entire Zakhakhel road, was abandoned long ago by the khasadar force due to increasing attacks on it by the militants.
Meanwhile, traffic on the main Peshawar-Torkham road remained thin on Saturday despite the lifting of curfew two days back, which was clamped to thwart kidnapping cases. But locals were reluctant to travel on the road for fear of kidnapping as a marble dealer was abducted only a day after the lifting of the curfew.
Security forces and khasadar personnel have also intensified checking of unregistered vehicles plying on the artery, due to which large number of such taxi cabs and vans opted to go off the road, causing problems for the commuters
GHALANAI: Security forces demolished houses of three tribesmen on the charge of providing shelter to militants in the Lakaro subdivision of the Mohmand Agency on Saturday.
Officials said one house was demolished in Derwazgai and two in Haider Korona. Levies and paramilitary forces jointly conducted the operation. The officials said the tribesmen had been warned not to provide protection to militants.
Meanwhile, a woman sustained injuries in Haider Korona when a shell hit her house. She was taken to hospital.
Clashes have been reported between security forces and militants in the Yosufabad locality of the Bajaur Agency.
The exchange of fire between the two sides continued for more than two hours, but no casualty was reported.
Sources said a group of 50 militants had attacked a security post on Friday night. The attackers went back towards their hideouts after the gun battle.
Following the attack, forces enhanced security in the locality and deployed paramilitary troops. The authorities launched an operation in the area and detained 30 local people under the Frontier Crimes Regulation.
