LANDI KOTAL (Khyber Agency), Aug 1: The Lashkar-i-Islam, an armed religious outfit in the Bara-Khyber Agency, has started forcible recruitment of tribal youths into their ranks.

The so-called religious outfit has been at war with Ansaar ul Islam group in the remote Tirah valley since April 2006. The bloody armed conflict between the two groups has so far claimed more than 200 lives while a large number of houses belonging to supporters of the rival camps were either demolished or set on fire.

Powerful Lashkar-i-Islam commander Haji Amal Gul, who belongs to the Malikdin Khel tribe, has directed his three sub-tribes Umar Khan Khel, Dawlat Khel and Kalakhel-Karnakhel to recruit 150 armed men from every sub-tribe to the Lashkar-i-Islam.

He warned that a heavy cash fine would be imposed on every family who failed to send their men in support to Lashkar-i-Islam.

Initially, three Malikdin Khel sub-tribes ignored the demand of Lashkar-i-Islam for fresh recruitment. Soon the armed supporters of Lashkar-i-Islam sprang into action and started forced recruitment of Malikdin Khel tribesmen. The Lashkar men were seen asking Malikdin Khel tribesmen from both public and private vehicles in and around the Bara bazaar.

In order to put further pressure, the armed Lashkar activists forcibly closed down dozens of shops owned by Malikdin Khel despite a ban on arms in the vicinity of the Bara bazaar.

Sources in Bara said that after the loss of hundreds of their men, majority of the Bara residents had no interest in the armed conflict between Ansaar -ul Islam and Lashkar-i-Islam. The uncompromising attitude of the Lashkar leaders also contributed to large scale desertion of local people from the ranks of Lashkar-i-Islam in the recent past, residents said.

The Khyber Agency’s political administration had in December 2006 constituted a 35-member jirga comprising elders of all seven tribal agencies to broker a peace deal between the Lashkar and Ansaar ul Islam.

The jirga abandoned its proceeding half-way in March this year due to the un-compromising attitude of Lashkar Amir Mangal Bagh, a member of the jirga told Dawn on condition of anonymity.

An activists of Lashkar-i-Islam, Hashim Khan, however denied reports of forcible recruitment and insisted that the newly recruited Malikdin Khel force would act as a Peace Force in Tirah.

He claimed that nearly half of the “force” had already left for Tirah. He said the force would also try to convince their co-tribesmen to abandon fighting and go back to home.

“It is a volunteer force and it will work for peace in the area”, Hashim Khan insisted, adding that a notable of Malikdin Khel elder, Haji Amal Gul, would head the new force and try to broker a ceasefire between the two warring groups. Hashim Khan, who is also a member of the Agency Council, acknowledged that people were fed up with fighting and wanted a halt to this “useless confrontation”.