KHYBER: Four people were killed, and nine others sustained injuries when rival groups exchanged fire over a land dispute in Landi Kotal here on Saturday.

Police said that families of Bijli Khan and Abidur Rehman of Nekkikhel village in the Sultankhel area had a dispute over the ownership of a piece of land, with a legal case also pending before the local court.

The rival groups came face to face in Nekkikhel village on Saturday afternoon and opened fire at each other after an exchange of hot words.

The intense cross-fire claimed four lives, two from each group, and left nine injured.

The injured were shifted to a hospital in Peshawar in critical condition.

The deceased and the injured were mostly young men. The slain were identified as Siffatuah and Rajeedullah from the Abidur Rehman family and Qadeer and Nisar from the family of Bijli Khan.

Local sources said that a number of jirgas were held over the last few years, but the dispute remained unresolved.

Published in Dawn, July 12th, 2026