MIRAMSHAH (North Waziristan), Sept 5: Armed men gunned down three officials of the political administration and wounded one Khasadar (personnel of the Levy force) and two passers-by here on Monday. The incident occurred near the Razmak bus-stand when a patrol headed by Tehsildar Iftikhar Ahmad Khattak tried to disarm four armed tribesmen.

Eyewitness said that personnel of the patrolling party had asked four people in the bazaar to surrender their weapons and when on their refusal to do so they tried to snatch the weapons, one of them opened fire killing Mr Khattak and political Moharar Aleem Roz.

Two Khasadars — Kifayet and Dil Mohammad — and two passers-by suffered bullet injuries and were taken to the agency headquarters hospital where Dil Mohammad died.

The firing created panic in the bazaar and shopkeepers closed their shops while the four armed men escaped in a pick-up.

North Waziristan Agency’s Political Agent Tariq Hayat later announced at a press conference that the security control of the town had been handed over to paramilitary troops who had been ordered to ‘shoot to kill’ any person found carrying weapons in the city.

He said there would be a curfew in the bazaar area from 9pm to 5am. He also said that the same measures would be in force in Mirali and Razmak towns of the agency.

He announced a compensation of Rs300,000 for the family of Mr Khattak, Rs150,000 for the family of Aleem Roz and Rs100,000 for the family of Dil Mohammad.

Dilawar Khan Wazir adds from Wana: Saboteurs blew up a school building and a basic health unit in the South Waziristan Agency on Sunday night, sources said.

A classroom and the boundary wall of the Karikot high school in Wana were damaged in an explosion.

The administration has arrested two watchmen of the school and started an inquiry.

In Kanigoram area, about 65 kilometres north of Wana, four rooms of a basic health unit collapsed after a bomb exploded in the premises of the facility, the sources said. No casualty had been reported.