WANA: Military authorities assured a grand jirga of Ahmedzai Wazirs here on Sunday that a peace accord reached with the Mulla Nazir group in South Waziristan in 2007 remained intact.

The assurance was given by Maj-Gen Sajjad Wazir and other military officers.

The jirga was attended by about 120 elders of the tribe, including Malak Bismillah, Ajmal and Malak Noor Khan.

Work on all development projects will continue and there will be no checking by security personnel at posts.

However, posts set up along the region’s borders will be manned and there will be checkings there. ‘Unnecessary’ posts will be abolished.

The jirga assured cooperation to security forces and said there would be no attack on security personnel and government installations in the Wana subdivision.

The jirga backed by militant leader Mulla Nazir had held a meeting with the administration on Saturday and offered its support for establishing the government’s writ in the region.

Online adds: Military spokesman Maj-Gen Athar Abbas said an operation against the Baitullah Mehsud group had already started and its training centres had been pounded by aircraft and artillery.

He said various roads leading to South Waziristan had been closed but no decision had been taken about a ground operation. The spokesman said there would be no operation in Wana.