LANDI KOTAL/KOHAT, July 7: At least four persons were killed in fresh clashes between a militant group and tribal volunteers in Tirah valley of Khyber Agency while security forces pounded hideouts of Taliban in Frontier Region of Kohat on Thursday.

Sources said that volunteers of Zakhakhel tribal lashkar and members of banned militant organisation Lashkar-i-Islam traded heavy fire in different parts of Tirah to gain control of each other positions.They said that at least four persons were killed in the clashes.

Meanwhile, windscreens of several vehicles were smashed when a powerful bomb, planted along roadside, exploded near Ali Masjid area of the tribal region on Thursday. However, nobody was hurt in the blast. A convoy of Nato oil tankers was passing through the road at the time of explosion but no tanker was damaged in the incident.

Meanwhile, security forces pounded the hideouts of militants when they fired rockets at Jawaki area of FR Kohat to punish the tribesmen for forming armed lashkar against them.

Militants fired three rockets from Gharib Paya mountains at the residential area in Jawaki adjacent to the Chappar area of Darra Adamkhel to target the local residents. However, the rockets landed in open and did not cause any kind of damage, except spreading panic among the locals.

The tribal lashkar retaliated with automatic weapons while security forces targeted the said mountains with artillery from their camp near the Kohat tunnel. But there were no reports of casualties or damage.

The militants, who enforced their own style of Sharia in FR Kohat back in 2008, have been carrying out IED attacks against passengers and firing rockets to reestablish their lost writ, which was ended with the formation of local armed lashkar in 2009.

The people of the area have been demanding establishment of permanent checkposts in the region and round the clock patrolling to prevent a comeback by militants.

Security forces had left the area after conducting a long operation in 2009 and expelling militants.