LANDI KOTAL, April 3: The helicopter gunships continue to pound the hideouts of banned militant outfit Lashkar-i-Islam in Tirah valley of Khyber Agency on second consecutive day on Monday.

Sources said that two important hideouts of Lashkar-i-Islam in Delee Morcha and Sra Khawra were destroyed in the Sunday’s shelling. Officials also claimed that seven activists of the banned outfit were killed in Nari Bara, Sandana and Nangrosa areas on Saturday.

Sources said that the newly formed lashkar of Zakhakhel tribe, with LI rebel commander Qandahar Afridi as its head, made advances in Nari Baba and Bango Dara areas, considered strongholds of the militant organisation.

They said that the lashkar also captured six LI activists in Sipah area and demolished the house of Raja Gul, an LI commander, in Bazaar-Zakhakhel area.

It was also learnt that Ansaarul Islam, arch rival of LI, offered all out support to Zakhakhel lashkar. Sources said that anticipating a possible patch up between Ansaarul Islam and Zakhakhel lashkar, LI chief Mangal Bagh requested elders of Akkakhel, Sipah, Malikdinkhel and Shalobar tribes to send him tribal volunteers.

Mangal Bagh has already abandoned his base in Nari Baba area. Sources said that he was changing positions frequently.

Meanwhile, tribal elders in Bara urged security forces and political administration to launch a decisive operation against LI in all parts of Bara. The administration, in return, was pressing elders to form a broad-based peace committee and help assist the government in maintenance of law and order.

Dawn has also learnt on good authority that military officials have temporarily postponed its ‘comprehensive operation strategy’ after new developments in Bazaar-Zakhakhel.

Official sources said that military officials devised a comprehensive plan after the killing of 13 soldiers including a colonel and a captain in Akkakhel area a week ago.

Sources said that though army had described the incident as result of a friendly fire, yet local residents insisted that the soldiers were killed by a mortar shell fired at a house where they had taken shelter after being besieged by militants.

In Swat, security forces recovered suicide vests, hand grenades and weapons during search operations in Matta and Kabal tehsils on Sunday.

Officials said that security forces launched an operation after getting information that a huge cache of weapons was lying in the fields in Matta area. During the search operation, security forces recovered suicide vests and mortar shells. The shells were safely blasted.

In another operation in Sakhara area of Matta, security forces recovered weapons and live rounds of different bores.

They also recovered 13 hand grenades, a mortar shell and weapons on the pointing of a detained militant in Nusrat area of Kabal tehsil.