TIMERGARA: A son of TNSM chief Maulana Sufi Mohammad was among several militants killed in fierce clashes with security forces in Maidan and Chakdara on Thursday.

Maulana Kifayatullah and his brother-in-law were killed when a mortar shell hit the latter’s house in the Darro village of Maidan.

Kifayatullah, according to his family sources, had gone to Darro to evacuate his in-laws who were trapped there. Kifayatullah, the eldest son of Sufi Mohammad, had been teaching Arabic in a government school for 21 years.
 
His colleagues in the education department told Dawn that he had nothing to do with the TNSM or the Taliban.

His younger brother Rizwanullah termed it a target killing and said the house of Sufi Mohammad’s relatives had been hit for a second time.

 
Sufi Mohammad and his wife, who were in Amandara, were not informed about the death of their son and the TNSM chief could not attend the funeral because, according to his aides, he was not well.

Security forces pounded militants’ hideouts as fierce clashes continued in Kumbar, Darro and Zimdar areas of Maidan. Local people said the Taliban attacked troops in Kumbar bazaar and an exchange of fire continued for several hours.

Security forces claimed to have killed and injured several militants, but local Taliban commander Miftahuddin told Dawn on phone that they were offering stiff resistance and killed 12 FC personnel.

Sources said that Naik Adalat Khan, Naik Imran and Sepoy Firoz of the FC were injured when an improvised explosive device went off under their tank in Kumbar.

Non-combatants Gul Mula and Shah Zeb were injured when shells fired from Timergara hit a mosque during Isha prayers in Hayaserai.

Local people said the militants blew up the headquarters of Dir Levies in Chakdara after having occupied it following a heavy exchange of fire.

They kidnapped 11 Levies personnel, including Subedar Major Noor Hakeem, Subedar Riqatyar and sepoys Rahim, Sher Zalam, Waheedur Rehman, Noor Mohammad, Shakirullah, Khursheed and Bakht Munir.

The sources said that paramilitary soldiers Amjad, Afsar Ali and Amin were killed while Capt Khaliq and Lt Maaz  and soldiers Majid, Arshad, Amir Abbas, Ismael, Sharif, Mumtaz and Yaqoob were injured in the gunbattle.

Official sources said the militants had taken away several bodies of their colleagues because blood stains were spotted in Shawa Khwar near the fort where militants had taken position.

Reports reaching here said that hundreds of families had left Chakdara, Gulabad, Gaddar and Warsak areas for safe places.

Helicopter gunships shelled Chakdara Khwar and Gulabad areas where militants have taken positions and set up a checkpost. There were no reports of casualties.

Two militants were reportedly killed in a clash in Gandigar, about 20km from dir, after they attacked a police station with heavy weapons early on Thursday. Policemen Khalid, Liaqat and Javed were injured.

The SHO of the police station said the militants had used rockets, hand-grenades and Kalashnikovs. DPO Ijaz Ahmad told newsmen that two militants were killed and three others were injured.

Hundreds of people from Sultankhel and Paindakhel rushed to Gandigar and condemned the attack. They vowed to track down the perpetrators and punish them.