UPPER DIR: Several militants have died in Wednesday’s clashes, in which Commander Maulana Naeemullah was killed, at Chinar area of the troubled Doog Darra, locals told Dawn as the fighting stopped in the area on Friday to bury the slain Lashkar (tribal militia) fighters.

Two militants were captured on Friday while four others who were besieged in Shatkas village offered to surrender to the Lashkar if amnesty was guaranteed.

Locals said that four persons, including commander Naeemullah were killed in the clashes from Taliban side on Wednesday. Earlier, two fatalities of the militants and three of the Lashkar were reported from the area.

The locals said that the killed persons also included a couple of foreign militants. They said that the militant bunker beside Ghazigay mosque was also destroyed in which 10 militants had been killed. Official sources said that a number of militant fatalities had taken place in the bunker near the mosque.

Lashkar sources said that 10 or 11 militants had been killed. There was a pause in fighting on Friday to facilitate the burial of the slain Lashkar fighters. Lashkar sources said that they captured two members of the Taliban and were convinced that 50-60 militants had remained in the area.

As the fighting lingers on, the Pakistan Air Force warplans hovered over the mountains of Doog Darra but did not launch strikes. The jetfighters had attacked the positions of the militant twice so far while the artillery of the security forces have also been pounding the suspected positions from Panakot area near Dir town and Beranjokas in Doog Darra.