TIMERGARA, Aug 2: An army base camp, set up at the Dir Scouts Headquarters, came under rocket attack here in the small hours on Saturday. However, no casualty was reported.

“Four of the nine rockets landed inside the fort, while rest of the projectiles hit in the fields,” a military spokesman told journalists here. The army retaliated to the rocket attack with mortars and the exchange of fire continued for about two hours.

The law enforcement agencies sealed the Balambat area of the district and started search for the attackers. No arrests were made immediately.

District Police Officer Dir Lower Syed Fida Hassan said that nine Russian-made rockets were fired from the Qillagai hilly area at the fort. He pointed out that 107mm rockets were fired by unknown miscreants to sabotage peace of the area. The moral of the police force was high and they could not be harassed, the DPO added.

Meanwhile, the military authorities called a meeting of local transporters and the district administration. During the meeting, the transporters were directed to keep vigilant eye on passengers with carriage so that explosives’ mobility could be checked. The transporters assured them to extend their full cooperation to the law enforcement agencies.

In the meantime, the district council, in its scheduled session, unanimously demanded of the federal government to send back the army men to their barracks as, according to them, their presence in the area had been a threat to local people. Both the treasury and opposition members spoke on the occasion.

They condemned the rocket attack on the Scouts Headquarters and termed it a bid to disturb the peaceful environment of the district.

They said a handful anti-state elements had been playing with the lives of the people “because they have been hatching conspiracies to bring unrest in the area”.

Later, a military spokesman cleared the army’s stand that there would be no military operation in Lowe Dir and presence of the army in the area was “only to provide security to people”.