KHAAR (Bajaur Agency), July 24: Four people were killed and four others received injuries in an exchange of fire between the Salarzai tribesmen living on both sides of the Pakistan-Afghanistan border here on Friday evening.

The incident took place near the Letai Sar border pass, sources said. However, it could not be ascertained whether the site fell in Afghanistan territory or Pakistan's Bajaur tribal agency.

Sources claimed that the Bajaur Salarzais also made 12 people of the other side hostage, besides dislodging them from the hilltop outposts.

Bajaur Agency Political Agent Sherzada Khan, however, said each side lost two people, while two from each side were injured in the firing.

The sources said that tension prevailed in the Salarzai areas on both sides of the border as officials from both sides reached the troubled spot to control the situation.

The sources said that the Bajaur Agency political authorities were engaged in a jirga with the tribesmen at the Sro Wano border point since Saturday morning to resolve the row and save the situation from aggravating.

They said that fighting was sparked by a row over the levy of tax on timber by the Afghan tribesmen.

They said the Afghan Salarzais were also in contact with the Kunar province administration as the latter had dispatched officials and security forces to the area to effect a ceasefire and resolve the issue.

The sources claimed that elements belonging to the Northern Alliance of Afghanistan had "intentionally" created the trouble to spoil friendly relations between the Salarzais living in the border areas of the two countries.

The row started as the Afghan Salarzais levied huge taxes on the Bajaur Agency timber traders and caused trouble to them in many other ways.

According to an estimate, around 1,000 traders from the Bajaur Agency legally bring timber from the Kunar province, which is the biggest timber producing area in Afghanistan.

The sources revealed that the Bajaur timber traders had got on lease forests in various parts of the Kunar province.