KOHAT, March 29: A team of officials and elected representatives on Saturday visited villages destroyed during six days of fighting between rival tribes in the district’s Kachai area to assess property damage and count the dead.

The team comprised District Coordination Officer Kamran Zeb, District Police Officer Dr Vaqarud Din, former Peshawar High Court chief justice Syed Ibn-i-Ali, district revenue officer Khog Bagshah, Maulvi Gul Hassan, Maulana Gul Najaf and councillor Gul Shad. They visited Landi Kachai, Mir Asghar Mela, Essa Khel and Musa Khel areas to prepare a report for payment of compensation to victims.

On his return from the affected area, Mr Zeb told Dawn that they had so far found no dead bodies and they were only able to get vacated Mir Asghar Mela, Landi Kachai, Alutang, proper Kachai and a few other places captured by the Mishti tribe. He said Mishtri tribesmen had agreed to end their control over the areas unconditionally.

He said the team members were still busy in search for victims and the operation was expected to end before 9pm.

These villages remained under attack by the Mishti tribe of the adjoining Orakzai Agency for six days where the rival groups fought face-to-face battle for 20 hours, starting on Thursday night and continuing on Friday.

Meanwhile, a peace jirga formed to negotiate terms and conditions for a permanent truce between the tribes postponed its meeting till the burial of the victims and return of families which had migrated to other areas during the clashes.

Eyewitnesses said the local Kachai people buried six people killed in a mortar attack.

Fourteen injured people had been admitted to a hospital in Ustarzai, four to the KDA divisional headquarters hospital in Kohat and three had been shifted to Peshawar because of their critical condition, hospital sources said.