LANDI KOTAL: Ten militant leaders of the proscribed Lashkar-i-Islam (LI) group surrendered to security forces in Bara on Monday.

Security officials said that so far 350 militants had laid down arms since the start of the Khyber One military operation in Bara.

Prominent among those who have surrendered are Haji Faqir of Shalobar tribe, Fazal Amin, Said Noor and Bakhtiar of Malikdinhhel tribe and Mukhtiar, Sher Khel, Roshan and Shahidullah alias Saifullah of Kamarkhel tribe. Shahidullah was the militant group’s spokesman.

They surrendered during different stages of the operation.

Before his surrender, Shahidullah had threatened in a statement to “teach a lesson to the army and fight against them till the last LI man in Bara”. But the following day he handed himself over to the troops, along with close associates.

Now he is avoiding reporters and has gone underground for the fear of LI chief Mangal Bagh’s reprisal.

The LI torched the houses of some of its deserters in Akkakhel a week after the launching of the operation. In a message broadcast on his illegal FM radio channel, Mangal Bagh has threatened to chase and target the defectors all over the country.

The LI lost Zewar Khan, one of its key commanders and a trusted lieutenant of Mangal Bagh, in a clash with security forces in Spin Qabar area two weeks ago. Mangal Bagh’s son Israfeel was killed by some defectors in the second week of the operation.

Interestingly, none of LI’s top militants from Sipah tribe, to which Mangal Bagh belongs, has surrendered so far.

Published in Dawn, November 18th, 2014