WANA, July 5: Tribes inhabiting the Shakai valley on Monday agreed to provide protection to security forces operating in the area and refuse shelter to foreign militants.

The agreement came about following mediation by senator Faridullah with six tribes in the Shakai valley. Authorities in South Waziristan were demanding that the tribes furnish guarantees worth Rs40 million to protect security forces against any attack and deny shelter to foreign militants.

Six tribes, four of them from the Ahmadzai Wazirs - Khuniakhel, Shudiaki, Sperkai and Khojalkhel - and two from the Utmankhels - Malak Shahi and Miami Kabulkhel - offered 20 klashnikovs each as token of their guarantee.

Elders of the six tribes, while handing over a total of 120 prized Russian assault rifles to the authorities, pledged that their territory would not be used to launch any attack against security forces, and that no tribesman would shelter any foreign militant.

The agreement is being viewed by the authorities as a big achievement as Shkai has long been considered a stronghold of foreign militants and their tribal protectors.

Last month, the security forces had launched a massive operation in Shkai during which the suspected hideouts of militants were bombed. The tribes had surrendered to the authorities two wanted militants, Eida Khan and Dawar Khan, last week.

Meanwhile, the deadline given to two other tribes - Malakkhel-Kakakhel and Karmazkhel - to surrender two wanted militants, Maulavi Abbas and Aziz Khan, expired on Monday.

The two tribes informed the authorities that the wanted militants were no longer in the area and had gone into hiding. The authorities, however, had said that they wanted the tribe to form a lashkar and camp at the houses of the two until they agreed to surrender.

The administration in Wana said that it would not give any further extension to the tribes though some tribesmen claimed they had been given another 10 days to secure the surrender of wanted militants.

Maulavi Abbas is known to have been sheltering and helping a group of Arab 'mujahideen.' Aziz Khan is a local tribesman with a long association with the Taliban. In an incident here, a soldier of the Dir paramilitary scout shot dead a hawaldar of the same unit and escaped.

Officials said that soldier Muhammad Wali killed fellow hawaldar Muhammad Hussain at a checkpoint in Shin Warsak, about 5km to the west of Wana. The cause of the incident could not be known.

Meanwhile, local tribesmen have demanded that the authorities re-open Nadra's office in Wana to enable them to prepare their national identity cards. The office has remained closed for the last one month following the economic blockade of the area. A Nadra official said that the authorities were not attesting application forms, which was part of the problem.