LANDI KOTAL/ KHAR/GHALANAI, Nov 25: Two personnel of Frontier Corps were killed and three others received injuries when their vehicle was targeted with a remote controlled bomb in Bara area of Khyber Agency on Thursday.

Officials said that a convoy of FC was on routine patrolling in the remote Sheen Qamar area when it was attacked with a remote controlled explosive device, planted at roadside.

Two personnel were killed on the spot while three others injured in the blast. The injured were shifted to Combined Military Hospital in Peshawar.

Meanwhile, security forces demolished the houses of two militant commanders and arrested 15 suspect militants in Bara and Landi Kotal. Officials said that Sakhi Jan and Rafeel Khan, two local commander of Lashkar-i-Islam, were wanted in a number of subversive activities. The two had been in hiding since the start of military operation in Bara in September 2009. Security forces dynamited their houses situated in Spin Qabar area of Bara.

Security forces also arrested five suspect militants in the same locality during a search operation. Officials said that Usman, who was wanted in attacks on oil tankers and containers taking fuel and other supplies to Nato forces in Afghanistan, was among the 10 men arrested in Landi Kotal.

In Jamrud, Khasadar force foiled an attempt to smuggle 114 kilograms of charas and 18 kilograms of opium. However, the smugglers managed to escape.

In another incident in Bajaur Agency, four children were critically injured when a mortar shell they were playing with exploded on Thursday.

Residents said that the children were playing when they found an unexploded mortar shell in the fields in Enzarai area of Khar tehsil. As they started playing with it, the shell exploded, injuring four children.

The injured children were identified as Shah Mohammad, 12, Balqis Bibi, 13, Khalida Bibi, 10, and 11-year-old Usman. They were shifted to the agency headquarters hospital in Khar, where doctors said the condition of two children was critical.

In Mohmand tribal region, three militants including a commander surrendered to political administration through a tribal jirga on Thursday.

The elders of Haleemzai tribe handed over the militants including their commander Mohammad Nabi to political administration during the jirga. The other two militants were identified as Subhanullha and Asghar.

The jirga members said that their 25 associates had already surrendered to government.

Officials appreciated the role of tribal elders, saying it was a matter of satisfaction for all of them that misguided people were surrendering.

APA Roshan Mehsud said on the occasion that the literacy rate in the tribal region had dropped as children could not continue their studies. He said most of the school buildings had been destroyed and added that reconstruction work could not be initiated till complete restoration of peace.

He said the ultimate losers were the poor people of the region as their children were lagging behind from the rest of country.

He said health centre would be rebuilt and developmental projects started once peace returned to the region.