LANDI KOTAL/LADDHA, May 9: At least 10 militants were killed and eight other injured when jet planes targeted their hideouts in Tirah valley of Khyber Agency on Wednesday.

Officials said that planes carried out several sorties targeting the hideouts of Taliban of Tariq Afridi group in Meer Khwla, Dwa Thoe and Thora Vella areas near the Afghan border.

They said that at least 10 militants were killed and eight more received injuries while two of their hideouts were completely destroyed in the aerial strikes.

Taliban affiliated with Tariq Afridi group had established bases in the area since long but they are facing stiff resistance from both Kukikhel tribe and banned militant group Lashkar-i-Islam.

Meanwhile, hundreds of families continued to migrate from Shalobar area in Bara on Wednesday, availing the 24-hour extension in the deadline granted to them by the local administration.

Officials said that a total of 1,600 families had left their houses in Shalobar area and shifted to safer places. Local welfare groups established relief camps at Qambarabad and Batta Thal localities to assist the migrating families.

Sources in Bara said that most of the displaced families preferred to move to Sipah and Malakdikhel areas as they were unable to hire transport or rent a house in Peshawar.

Tehrik Mutasereen Bara, Khyber Union, Khidmat-i-Khalq Committee and elders of Shalobar tribe have demanded of the political administration to provide them sufficient time to move to safer places.

In South Waziristan Agency, Ziaul Islam, an assistant director of agriculture department, was released by his captors on Wednesday at the same place from where he was kidnapped on March 23, 2012. Sources said that the official was picked up from Thanai area on Gomal-Wana Road by unidentified persons on March 23 when he was on way to Peshawar.

The local administration under collective territorial responsibility clause of FCR had arrested 11 members of Othmankhel and Karmaskhel sub-tribes of Ahmedzai Wazir, impounded seven vehicles, withheld salaries of Class-IV employees, Levies and Khasadar forces and refused to issue passports, domiciles and national identity cards to them till safe recovery of the official.

The released official said that he remained for two months in the captivity of unidentified kidnappers. He said that he was brought to the place, where he was released, blindfolded in a vehicle.

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