BANNU, Sept 6: The authorities here on Friday blasted houses of five people in the semi-autonomous Janikhel tribal region charged with snatching Al Qaeda suspects from a militia checkpoint as part of the understanding reached with a tribal jirga.

The authorities moved in Janikhel village, still under siege on the fifth day of the snatching incident, and dynamited the houses of five people. Arrests were also being made, witnesses said.

They said that the paramilitary forces blasted houses of Maulana Imtiaz Ali, Maulana Abdullah and Maulana Sher Alam while action against Hafiz Sadar Hayat’s house was put off due to the death of his grandfather.

The houses have been demolished under a British-time special law governing the tribal region called the Frontier Crimes Regulation. The house of a key religious leader, Maulana Shamsul Haq has already been destroyed.

There was no official confirmation of the reported understanding. The authorities, however, are adamant that the operation would continue until Janikhel tribe gave up the eight suspects. Among them are said to be four foreigners, possibly of central Asian origin.

The tribe denies the presence of foreigners and claims that those snatched from the militia were local Taliban.