MINGORA/LAKKI MARWAT, June 27: The security forces and Swat police on Thursday morning killed two militants after an encounter of nine hours in Yousafabad locality of Mingora city.

The encounter began at 8pm on Wednesday and ended at around 5:30am.

According to a police official, the militants were Khalilullah of Mirkhel, Swat and Khawaja Mohammad of Kalwal, Mansehra and aged between 20 and 26 years as shown by their computerised national identity cards seized after the encounter.

The encounter began after militants shot down constable Shaukat of special police force in Rahimabad on Wednesday evening.

Shaukat accompanied by two policemen had stopped militants to prove identity.

After the killing, the militants barged into the house of daily wager Gul Yar and took positions there. There followed exchange of fire between them and police.

The encounter left the house completely destroyed and a policeman injured.

In a news release issued here, police said they had seized two pistols, four chargers, 50 cartridges, a hand grenade, a knife and two cellphones carried by militants.

They said they had registered an FIR against militants and began investigation.

This has been the first incident of its kind since the army flushed militants out of Swat valley by an operation in 2009.

ROCKETS FIRED: Miscreants fired rockets on a cement factory in Lakki Marwat district late on Wednesday.

However, the attack didn’t cause any damage to human life or property.

The cement factory has been targeted by miscreants many times in the past.

A police official said rockets, which were fired from the nearby mountains, landed on the premises but the factory remained undamaged.

Police and security forces reached the factory after the attack and began a search operation in the area.

However, no arrests could be made until the night.

An official of Shaheed Haibat Ali Khan police station said security had been increased around the factory and on Bannu-DI Khan Road.