KOHAT, Oct 30 Militants have blown up two schools, a basic health unit and three houses in Shahukhel area of Hangu district. One of the houses had an imambargah.

The schools and BHU buildings and houses were turned into rubble by time devices planted by militants late on Thursday night.

(According to AFP, there were no casualties because the buildings were empty. Hangu DPO Gul Wali Khan said that about 80 kilograms of explosives had been used.)

According to officials, militants fired at vehicles of security personnel who had gone to Shahukhel on Friday to assess the damage and collect evidence. The militants fled the area when troops returned fire.Shahukhel, which leads to the Orakzai Agency, is a Taliban stronghold and virtually a no-go area.

Police and bomb disposal squad defused a 5kg bomb which had been placed near Sur Gul Chowk on the Indus Highway in Kohat on Friday.

Meanwhile, police arrested two smugglers and recovered 60 kilograms of hashish from their car.

The smugglers were going to Karachi from Khyber Agency.