MINGORA, Sept 22: Nine security personnel were killed and three others injured when a suicide bomber rammed his explosive-laden car into a military checkpost in Madian town of Swat on Monday.

The checkpost is near the main grid station in the town, some 60 kilometres northeast of Mingora.

An official of the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) confirmed the attack and death of nine soldiers.

Meanwhile, a woman and two children were killed and two girls were injured when a mortar shell hit a house in the Allaabad locality on Monday.

Local people protested against the killing of civilians. They held a demonstration which was attended by hundreds of people. The protesters dispersed before reaching the Mingora town.

Sources said that the shell destroyed the house of Fazl Rabi. The dead and the wounded belonged to the same family. Fazl Rabi is at present in Saudi Arabia.

In another incident, militants blew up two houses and a guesthouse of PPP (Sherpao) leader and Union Council Nazim Sher Afzal Khan in Bara Bandi.

Local people said that militants were still active in the Kozabandai area of the troubled district. Security forces had earlier claimed to have flushed out militants from there.

However, residents said the militants had never left the area.

The media information centre in Swat claimed that forces were patrolling Kozabandai and helping displaced people in cooperation with a local jirga.