GHALANAI/SWABI, March 1: Taliban shot dead a pro-government tribal elder of Mohmand Agency along with his nine-year-old son in Ghoshta area of Afghanistan near the border.

Malik Nasrullah, an elder of Mamad Kor Khwezai, and his son Yasir were killed by militants in Afghanistan, sources said here on Thursday.

Mohmand Taliban spokesperson Mukarram Khurasani talked to local journalists by telephone from an unspecified location and claimed responsibility for killing Malik Nasrullah and his son.

He claimed that the tribal elder was using his son as a shield.

In Swabi, militants blew up a government school in Razaar tehsil on the night between Wednesday and Thursday.

It was the fourth incident of its kind in Razaar during the last one week. Officials said that militants planted two bombs at Government High School for Boys Yar Hussain No.1 that went off at 2:30am. They said that the explosions rocked the entire area.

Officials said that about 1,000 students were enrolled in the school. The school was kept open on Thursday owing to preparation for the upcoming annual examinations.

Officials said that so far 12 educational institutions were destroyed by militants in the district. They said that militants had targeted schools in Marghuz, Aman Kot, Tand Kohi, Khalil Banda, Karnal Sher Kallay, Shewa Adda, Shiekh Jana, Muradabad, Swabi, Panjpir and Yar Hussain. Two watchmen were present in the school at the time of the explosions. However, no casualty was reported.

Officials said that owing to presence of watchmen, militants planted bombs near the outer wall of classrooms. Both the watchmen said that they didn’t see any suspected person before or after the blasts.