BANNU, Dec 9: Hundreds of tribesmen took out a procession and marched to the office of Bannu DCO to register their protest against the arrest of tribal elders during the continuing operation in the FR Bannu areas.

The protesting tribesmen staged a sit-in in front of the DCO office and demanded immediate and unconditional release of tribal elders and other people who, they said, were not involved in the attack on a polio vaccination team and hijacking of an official vehicle.

Authorities of the FR Bannu have, so far, detained more than 40 tribesmen, including elders, under the collective responsibility law of the Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR) to force the Mamandkhel branch of the Wazir tribe to hand over culprits involved in the attack and to recover the snatched vehicle. The protesters included people from the Janikhel, Bakkakhel and Mamandkhel sub-tribes of Wazirs.