KALAYA/KOHAT, Jan 30: Ten militants were killed and four others injured in Orakzai Agency on Sunday while the tower of a cellular phone company was blown up in Darra Adamkhel overnight in the continuing conflict in the region, official sources said.

They said that security forces targeted positions of militants in upper Orakzai Agency, killing 10 of them and injuring four others.

They said that several militant hideouts were destroyed in Dabori area of the tribal region.

However, independent sources and Taliban didn’t verify the claim of officials.

Official sources said that clashes erupted in the area when militants fired rockets at checkposts of security forces. The rockets were fired from two different directions but they did not cause any loss of life, they said.

They said that security forces, backed by tanks and artillery, retaliated and targeted militant hideouts. They added that 10 militants were killed and four wounded in retaliatory action.

Security official claimed that 90 per cent area of the Orakzai Agency had been cleared of militants. However, Taliban are still present in the area as carry out attacks against security forces.

Meanwhile, militants blew up a tower of a cellular company in Shni Kallay area of Darra Adamkhel on late Saturday night. Militants also blew up the house of Malik Rafiq, a tribal elder, the same night.

Official sources said that militants planted separate bombs at the four legs of tower and destroyed it completely.

Meanwhile, Kohat tunnel was opened to light traffic after 50 hours. The tunnel had been closed on late Friday at 11pm when terrorists carried out twin suicide blasts at its northern portal.

At least five passengers were killed and 19 others injured in the twin blasts. Officials said that 500 kilograms explosives were used in the blasts in the oil tanker and a transport truck.

It was termed a major security breach because Taliban had recently threatened to blow up the tunnel if the ongoing operation in the tribal areas was not stopped.

Security had been beefed up and forces checked every vehicle at two points on Darra Adamkhel side with explosives detectors but despite this the trucks managed to enter the 1.98 kilometres long tunnel.

Militants had made a failed attempt to blow the tunnel in 2008.