PESHAWAR: Militants killed eight members of the family of an anti-Taliban volunteer when they attacked his house in the nearby Mashokhel village with light and heavy weapons on Wednesday. A guest of the family also lost his life.

The Mashokhel Qaumi Lashkar’s chief Pir Israr Shah, his son Sadaqat Shah, brothers Mohammad Haji and Saeed Wali, nephews Yasir Shah, Sabir Shah, Akhtar Ali and Sadam died in the attack. The guest was identified as Rehmat.This was the ninth militant attack in Peshawar and its suburbs this month.

According to Badbher police, the attackers lobbed grenades on the house where people were asleep and opened fire on the male members of the family. “The mud-built house collapsed after a grenade blast,” an official said.

The attackers were said to have come on foot and escaped without facing any resistance.The villagers avoided saying anything on record fearing militants’ reprisal but a peace volunteer said the men had been killed in the presence of women of the family. The attackers also took away weapons and the women’s jewellery, he said.

Peshawar Rural Circle DSP Fazal Wahid Khan told reporters that the terrorists had earlier killed a relative of the victims and one of the attackers had been killed in an encounter on Feb 2.

He said the incident was a reaction to the killing in the encounter.

Asif Khan, who leads the Bazidkhel Qaumi Lashkar, told this reporter that the government had abandoned peace workers who were neither getting arms and ammunition nor ration, although they were called for help whenever police needed them during action against the Taliban.

“The family was on the ‘hit list’ of the Taliban and a Khyber Agency-based militant group of Mangal Bagh because they supported police in encounters with terrorists,” he said.

He said the militants now had supporters in the suburbs of Peshawar and could easily escape after committing a crime.

“We know those who are facilitating the terrorists in various villages and have pointed them out to the law-enforcement agencies but action has not been taken against them. We are running short of arms and ammunition and our volunteers are in dire need of ration,” he said.

He said the ‘Shahid Group’ of Taliban was very active in parts of Peshawar and the government must act against them; otherwise the rest of the peace bodies’ chiefs would also be attacked.

The people, he said, aspired for peace and wanted the negotiations between the government and Taliban to succeed.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervez Khattak and Governor Engineer Shaukatullah termed the attack the worst act of inhumanity.

The governor said no effort would be spared to nab the elements involved in the crime and bring them to justice.

The chief minister announced a compensation of Rs50,000 under the Shuhada Package for the heir of each victim.

He said anti-state elements had been exposed after the launching of negotiations with the Taliban and foreseeing their failure they were trying to demoralise people through their terrorist activities.