PESHAWAR, March 2: At least four persons were injured and 10 houses damaged when militants fired rockets and mortar shells at Adezai, a suburban village of provincial metropolis, on late Tuesday night.

A police post was also damaged in the massive midnight attack.

Farman Khan, a leader of anti-Taliban Adezai Qaumi Lashkar, told Dawn that they had information about a possible attack by militants. He alleged that they were prepared to counter the attack but local police dodged them by deploying their volunteers somewhere else.

“We had information that militants would enter the area through Yusufkhel village but police officials said that the attackers would come from the opposite side and asked the volunteers to plug that side,” he said. He added that police had either incorrect information or dodged the volunteers.

The attackers, he said, started firing with sophisticated heavy weapons at midnight that continued till 2am. “We also retaliated and targeted the possible cover areas but they had already strengthened position behind the mounds, forcing people to remain indoors,” he added.

Mr Khan said that four persons received injuries when shells and rockets landed in their houses. He said that many houses were damaged but the worst-hit were owned by Haji Sultan Shah, Said Firdus, Mohammad Umar, Shah Zaman, Mohammad Siraj, Haji Abbas Gul, Noorul Islam, Taj Wali, Sarwar Khan and Dilawar Khan.

A police post was also damaged, he said. He added the building of the post was provided to police by the villagers temporarily on voluntary basis. He claimed that despite shortage of resources the volunteers successfully repulsed the attack, but police failed to come for their help.

“Police have all kinds of light and heavy weapons including armoured personnel carriers but they did not plug the exit point and militants managed to escape via Matani area,” he alleged.

The lashkar leader said that owing to ongoing military operations in tribal areas, militants had shifted to Jani Khwar and Yusufkhel areas. Police were avoiding taking action against them, he alleged.

Several areas of Frontier Regions including Huram Tang and Maroofkhel, he said, were located very close to Adezai and Matani union councils and militants could easily enter settled localities for carrying out sabotage acts.

“We have information that militants are jointly headed by Tariq Afridi of Tehrik-i-Taliban and some of leaders of Khyber Agency-based Lashkar-i-Islam as both of them are considering Adezai Qaumi Lashkar as major hurdle in their way,” Mr Khan said.

He expressed complete dissatisfaction over the role of local police and alleged that the SHO concerned seemed to have contacts with militants as he was reluctant to take effective action against them. However, police denied the allegations, saying they had beefed up security in the area.