PESHAWAR, July 16: At least two persons were burnt to death and seven others injured when people tried to extinguish fire caused by attack on an oil tanker, supplying fuel to Nato forces in Afghanistan, on Jamrud Road here on Saturday evening, police and hospital sources said.

Hayatabad police said that the tanker had just reached Karkhano Markets when it caught fire as a result of a huge blast. They said that it seemed to be the handiwork of militants.

The sources said that the fire from the oil tanker destroyed about 15 shops and cabins. They said that firefighters, people of the nearby localities and traders were trying to put out the fire till late in the night. Sources at the Lady Reading Hospital said that they had received two bodies, including one of a 10-year-old boy, and seven injured. However, they could not confirm their identity.

The police said that it seemed that the tanker had been blown up by planting a magnet bomb to it. Further investigations are underway, they said.

Meanwhile, security forces destroyed three hideouts of militants in Bara while a commander of a banned militant organisation was killed in Tirah valley of Khyber Agency on Saturday.

Officials in Landi Kotal said that during a search operation in Baz Garha locality of Bara the security forces dynamited three hideouts of Lashkar-i-Islam and arrested two of its supporters. Local sources said that a number of suspected militants managed to break the security cordon and fled to other localities. They said that a vehicle was also damaged during exchange of firing.

It was also learnt that Fazal Hadi, commander and bodyguard of LI chief Mangal Bagh, was killed by the Zakhakhel lashkar in Nari Baba area of Tirah valley. Sources said that fighting between the two rival groups had intensified during the last few days in which a number of armed men from both sides had been killed.

In Mann Talab area of Akkakhel, activists of LI killed a volunteer of local peace committee by tying his body to a vehicle and dragging it. Later, the two groups exchanged intense gunfire.

In another incident, miscreant blew up the remaining portion of a government high school in Atari village of Qambarkhel on Saturday. They had destroyed the middle and high sections of the school only two weeks ago by planting explosives inside the two buildings.

Meanwhile, according to our Ghalanai correspondent, pamphlets describing former vice chief of Tehrik-i-Taliban Maulvi Faqir Mohammad as agent of anti-Pakistan forces were distributed among peace committees of Bajaur and Mohmand tribal agencies.

The pamphlets in Urdu and Pashto on separate papers carry the title “public notice” and read: “Maulvi Faqir Mohammad is a notorious and immoral bargainer of conscience by character. He is enemy of humanity and playing in hands of those powers who want to destroy our motherland. The number one in these anti-Pakistan forces is Raw of India.”

The pamphlet further said that “Maulvi Faqir Mohammad had joined hands with the forces working against the interests of Pakistan. The people, who are patriotic sons of this soil and took oath of defending the motherland, should line up against the forces represented by Maulvi Faqir.”

The people were urged to be aware of Faqir’s conspiracy and join hands with the intelligence agencies to dislodge agents of anti-Pakistan forces. It was stated that elimination of Faqir and his associates had become essential now.