KOHAT, Dec 5: At least seven persons, including a khasadar, were injured when a passenger vehicle was targeted by a roadside remote controlled bomb in Shindhand area of Frontier Region of Kohat on Sunday.

The Suzuki pick-up was returning to the semi-autonomous Shindhand area from Kohat city. The injured khasadar was identified as havaldar Noor Wali. The injured were shifted to KDA hospital for treatment.

Taliban have been attacking the tribesmen of the area for raising a lashkar against them in June last.

Local tribesmen said that Taliban were targeting their vehicles, carrying passengers to and from Paya, Jawaki and Arakhel areas of FR Kohat, located in the north-east of Kohat city on the border of Darra Adamkhel.

Local elder Shafaris Khan told Dawn that Taliban announced enforcement of Sharia in the region in 2008 and started killing people on charges of spying for government.

Several tribes of the area formally decided to raise a lashkar to expel the militants when the later tried to kidnap a khasadar from his home in June last.

The lashkar chased them out and also killed a local commander, Tandar. Since then Taliban have been attacking the tribesmen and their vehicles.

“This is the third attack during fortnight carried out by Taliban to make us an example for raising lashkar against them. The militants want a safe alternative passage through FR Kohat,” Mr Khan said.

He recalled that a boy was killed in November last when Taliban fired rockets from Darra Adamkhel at Arakhel tribe.

Two other persons were injured in a similar attack in Bilitang area of Kohat on December 1.

Meanwhile, militants in Darra Adamkhel and Khyber Agency have threatened to target private and government vehicles if Indus Highway and Kohat Tunnel are not closed to traffic during night.

Mohammad, the spokesman for Taliban chief of Khyber Agency and Darra Adamkhel Tariq Afridi, contacted local journalists by phone from an undisclosed location to convey the warning to the government.

“We will not hesitate to attack private and government vehicles, which are being used as shield by security forces for the movement of convoys in the night.

We will soon start attacks on the vehicles, which will use the tunnel facility after evening,” he threatened.

The military and civil administration has opened the tunnel to night traffic after three years.