KOHAT: Police arrested about 205 suspected people, including 123 Afghans, during house-to-house search in three Afghan refugee camps and adjoining areas here on Tuesday.

The operation, conducted jointly by the personnel of elite force commandos, bomb disposal squad and lady police, started at midnight and continued till Tuesday morning. About 70 houses, 18 hotels, six residential plazas and 38 educational institutions were also searched to net suspected persons.

Similarly, eight suspicious people were taken into custody during snap checking at the entry and exit points of Kohat district.

The police also recovered 17 weapons, including Kalashnikovs, rifles, shotguns, pistols and thousands of cartridges.

Of the 123 Afghan refugees 13 were held under 14 Foreign Act for not having valid residential cards and the rest were freed after they produced the required documents later in the day. The accused would be deported soon.

70 houses, 18 hotels also searched during operation

Five people were sent to lockup for non-registration of guests at their hotels and houses. District police officer Mohammad Sohaib Ashraf issued advisory to the administrators of 20 schools and colleges, asking them to make security arrangements according to the police guidelines.

TWO INJURED: Two people, including head of Mohammadzai Village Defence Tanzeem, were injured and seven armed volunteers arrested after a clash with security forces during an operation in Dane Khla mountainous area of Mohammadzai near the border of Orakzai Agency on Tuesday.

The police and army have launched a joint operation in the area falling between Mohammadzai area of Kohat and Bezote area of Orakzai Agency where the village community volunteers reportedly clashed with the forces. As a result, Haji Gul, chief of Mohammadzai Tanzeem, and volunteer Sarfraz were injured. The security personnel arrested seven other armed volunteers and shifted them to unknown location.

The injured were taken to the KDA divisional headquarters hospital.

Police spokesman Fazal Mahmood told Dawn that it was basically an operation against militants, but the forces accidentally came face to face with heavily armed volunteers of Mohammadzai Tanzeem.

He recalled that the administration during a jirga held between the Mohammadzai Tanzeem and Bezote tribal elders early this month had banned patrolling of the disputed mountain by both the sides.

Published in Dawn February 18th , 2015

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