KOHAT, June 14: A well-known Afghan war veteran and leader of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam and his eight masked companions carrying rocket-launchers on their pick-up marched through the Doaba Bazaar near here on Sunday evening and asked the people who had assembled there to join a 'Jihad' against the United States and the elements involved in the Wana operation.

They remained in the bazaar for about two hours and then left for the Tora Wrai village in the Hangu district. While They were in the Doaba Bazaar, local police personnel locked themselves in the police station for fear an attack.

Reports reaching here on Sunday night said that later Hangu SP Khurshid Khan visited Doaba. It is reported that a police party was conducting raids in different areas for the eight men and their leader, Safeer Khan.

An official informed Dawn on telephone from Thall that Safeer Khan was a staunch supporter of the terrorists engaged in battles with the military in the South Waziristan Agency.

It may be mentioned here that Thall is connected with South Waziristan and Kurram agencies through the North Waziristan Agency and the Afghan provinces of Paktika and Paktia from where the border security forces had arrested more than 150 Arab fighters in 2001.