MANSEHRA: The army has established a base camp in Kala Dhaka, a provincially administered tribal area in Mansehra district, to flush out militants who have reportedly sneaked into the area from neighbouring restive areas of Buner and Swat.

An army convoy entered Kala Dhaka and established a base camp in Mere Madakhail, an area bordering Buner and Swat districts, according to sources in the area.

When contacted, Mansehra Assistant Coordination Officer Tasleem Khan confirmed the army deployment in Mara Madakhail but did not say if the army planned immediate operation in the region.

Sources said the troops were deployed to restrict the alleged mobility of militants, coming from neighbouring Buner and Swat districts, in Kala Dhaka.

A jirga of all the five tribes of Kala Dhaka was held in the Darband area of Mansehra on Wednesday. Provincial Minister for Haj Nimroz Khan also attended the jirga.

The jirga unanimously demanded that the provincial government should not shift political administration’s office from Oghi because it was easily accessible to all the tribes.

It also called upon the government not to launch a military operation in Kala Dhaka because ‘there were no militants in the area’.

Meanwhile, suspected militants blew up the Oghi police station with a remote control device on Wednesday. The building’s four rooms were damaged in the explosion, but no casualty was reported.

Oghi range DSP Sajid Khan said a 5kg explosive device had been planted near the police station wall.

He said it would be premature to say who was behind the incident, but involvement of militants fleeing from the neighbouring districts of Buner and Swat could not be ruled out.