PESHAWAR: Four volunteers of an anti-Taliban peace body were killed in a clash with militants in Mahokhel, a suburb of the city, on Saturday. One of the militants was also killed.

It was the first attack by militants in Peshawar since the formation of a committee by the government to hold negotiations with the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

The slain volunteers were identified as constable Zafar Ali of special police force, his brother Mukhtar, nephew Kausar Ali Shah and Bakhtiar. They all hailed from a village in the limits of Badbher police station.

The head of the anti-Taliban peace body — Qaumi Lashkar of Badbher Mukamil Shah — told Dawn that two militants, armed with hand grenades and guns, attacked the volunteers. One of the attackers was killed in retaliatory fire and the other escaped to an area near the border of Khyber Agency.

He said the encounter ensued after a bomb blast in the area. When people gathered at the blast site constable Zafar Ali tried to search two suspicious men who had their faces covered with pieces of cloth.

As soon as the constable started frisking one of the men he hurled a hand grenade at the people and the other snatched a rifle from one of the policemen and the two started running towards agriculture fields, he added.

He said an exchange of fire between militants and volunteers continued for some time.

After the encounter a heavy contingent of security personnel cordoned off the area and launched a search operation.

A volunteer of the peace body told Dawn that the deceased militant was the brother of a fugitive commander of TTP, Shahid of Sulemankhel village.

Asif Khan, another volunteer, said that militants had intensified their activities in suburban areas of Peshawar. But, he added, peace body volunteers were also active in these areas and they kept an eye on suspicious activities.

Sources said that movement of militants had caused serious unrest among people living in suburban areas of Peshawar. They said many people in these areas perform night duties at their roofs to keep an eye on militants’ activities.

“A few days ago three people of a family were killed when around 30 armed men wearing military uniforms entered their house in Badbher,” a resident told this correspondent.

Meanwhile, in another incident a watchman, Adnan Khan, was shot dead by unidentified motorcyclists in the Ittehad Colony on Saturday.