LANDI KOTAL: Three activists of a banned militant organisation were killed while three others were injured in an exchange of fire in Bara tehsil of Khyber Agency on the night between Thursday and Friday. Two soldiers were also injured in the clash.

Independent sources in Bara said that security forces and activists of Lashkar-i-Islam exchanged fire when a vehicle carrying at least six LI activists was signalled to stop at the Nawgazi Baba checkpost in Shalobar area at around mid night.

Sources said that three LI activists identified as Rashid, Ajmal and Hazrat were killed while another three which included a local LI commander were injured. A source in Bara told Dawn that at least one of the injured whose name could not be immediately known was taken by the forces to Combined Military Hospital in Peshawar.

Fate of the other two injured could not be known as there was no official word about the entire episode of firing which took place at a checkpost situated on border between Jamrud and Bara tehsils of Khyber Agency.

At least two security personnel were also injured in the cross firing, sources added. The incident was the first of its type after security forces agreed to withdraw from some check posts established inside Bara and reopened some roads for routine traffic after its closure for almost four and half years.

The incident took place in the wake of a warning to LI by security officials a week ago in which the LI was sternly asked to distance itself from Tehrik Taliban Pakistan and other hostile militant groups operating in Khyber and Orakzai.

LI was warned of a full-fledged military operation if it failed to adhere to official demands. The warning was giving after a recent surge in terror activities in Peshawar and its surrounding localities, which security officials believed were planned and executed from Bara with the help and assistance of local militant groups.