PESHAWAR: At least three Lashkar-i-Islam (LI) militants were killed and two others injured in a clash between militants belonging to the proscribed group and a local peace legion in the restive Tirah valley located in Khyber Agency.
Official sources said that Tauheedul Islam (TI) peace volunteers clashed with LI militants in the Naraye Baba area of Tirah valley. The clash left at least three militants killed and two others injured.
Sources added that the death toll from the skirmish is likely to rise.
Khyber is one of Pakistan’s seven semi-autonomous regions governed by tribal laws and lies near the Afghan border.
The incident comes at a time when operation 'Khyber-1' – launched by the military last month – is ongoing.
The Mangal Bagh-led Lashkar-i-Islam has had a strong presence in the areas being targeted in the operation.
Anticipating a military operation in their areas in Tirah valley, hundreds of Akkakhel families had left their homes in Dars Jumaat, Shaddaly, Darota and Kulla areas of Akkakhel in Tirah valley.
Khyber-1 operation was launched amid 'Zarb-i-Azb', a full-fledged military operation being conducted by the Pakistani military against the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants in North Waziristan.
At least 1,200 suspected militants have been killed by the Pakistan Army in an anti-Taliban offensive during the past five months,