LANDI KOTAL (Khyber Agency), April 23: Six people were killed and 12 others injured when Lashkar-i-Islam activists and security forces exchanged fire in the Mandi Kas area of Bara in Khyber Agency on Monday, eyewitnesses said.

Some local people accused paramilitary forces of opening fire on school-children at a place about three kilometres west of Bara. But Fata security secretary Arbab Mohammad Arif blamed the Lashkar activists for using children as human shield.

The clash broke out when Lashkar-i-Islami activists and a group of school-children marched to the residence of their opponent Pir Saifur Rehman at around 9.30am.

Officials said that when the children and armed activists of the Lashkar reached the fortified residence, some people in the crowd opened fire on security forces. Law-enforcement personnel retaliated and four students were killed and 12 people were injured. Two of the injured died in hospital. A nephew of the Lashkar chief was among the dead.

Eyewitnesses told Dawn that most of the dead and injured were aged between 15 and 20. A combined funeral was held in Mandi Kas in the afternoon.

Mangal Bagh, the self-proclaimed leader of Lashkar-i-Islam, refuted the official claim and accused the security forces of opening fire on ‘peaceful protesters’. He vowed to continue struggle despite government restrictions.

The Lashkar chief reiterated his three demands -- handing over of the residence of Pir Saifur Rehman in accordance with a jirga decision, release of Mufti Munir Shakir and giving back possession of the Nala-Malikdin Khel centre to Lashkar-i-Islam.

Soon after the incident, the local administration deployed a large number of security personnel at all entry and exit points of Bara and imposed a ban on carrying arms and holding protests. The Bara bazaar remained closed for the second day on Monday.

Security secretary Arbab Mohammad Arif at a press briefing in Peshawar said that four people had been killed and nine others wounded. He warned that nobody would be allowed to take the law into his hand. He said the administration was exercising maximum restraint, but would use all available options to restore law and order.