KOHAT A complete ceasefire was enforced after militants got assurance from tribal elders, ensuring a safe exit from the Hangu district on Monday.

The army entered the city at 1100am on Monday and took full control of the area. Heavily armed troops were patrolling the bazaar and established check points to face any untoward incidents.

The Army also sealed all the entrances to Hangu from Kohat, Orakzai Agency, Kurram Agency and North Waziristan, with shoot at sight orders. However people who needed emergency health treatment were allowed to pass through.

Nine bodies of people who were killed in battles were brought to Kohat from Hangu and buried in Ustarzai and Mitha Khan areas.

Authorities said the decision to relax the curfew or lift it would be taken after reviewing the situation, which could take at least 48 hours. They said the next two days were crucial for peace in the region.

The ceasefire agreement reached between the rival groups and the administration was signed at 200pm on Sunday.

But the warring factions refused to accept the decision and continued attacks at several places in Hangu city. They used heavy weapons against each other. Both groups accepted the ceasefire agreement after the Taliban agreed to stop fighting and go back to their old positions.

The ceasefire was made possible with the efforts of the `ahle-sunnat-wal-jamat` leaders, who enjoy close relations with the local and non local Taliban. They made announcements through mosques regarding the ceasefire agreement.

The deputy chairman of the group, Mohammad Amin played a key role in brokering the truce.

The jirga was still holding talks with the district administration in the office of the DCO, to finalise modalities and conditions for holding a permanent ceasefire.

Gunship helicopters still hovered over Hangu city and fired warning shots to enforce the ceasefire effectively.

The truce, announced twice before was rejected by the Taliban, since two of their leaders were shot dead in the four day clashes, which claimed more than 47 lives and injured scores.

The central secretary general of the Tehrik-e-Nifaz-e-Fiqah-Jafria Pakistan, Syed Mazhar Ali Shah, while talking to Dawn on Monday, said they felt alienated, since the president and prime minister did not sympathise with them, as they did with the people of Karachi and Lahore.