KOHAT, Sept 16 Three convicted militants, including the mastermind of bomb attacks on CD shops, escaped from the Kohat district prison early Tuesday morning.

Official sources said the militants serving nine to 25 years jail terms overpowered guard Rafiullah and tied him. The militants, they added, scaled the prison's 40-foot boundary wall after crossing several security cordons and escaped.

The militants, Jamaluddin of the Teerah Valley in the Orakzai Agency, and Zakeem Shah of Sumari Payan, presently residing in the Miangan Colony, Kohat, had been awarded 25 years jail terms each by the Anti-Terrorism Court, Kohat, after their arrest on April 6, 2007. They had been charged under section 7 of the Anti-Terrorist Act, section 5 of the Explosives Act, and sections 3/4 and 437 of PPC.

Zakeem Shah, considered an expert of making improvised explosives devices, had carried out dozens of attacks on CD shops, markets, cable operators' offices and security checkposts.

Similarly, Abid Shah of Turkey Ismailkhel, Frontier Region of Kohat, had been arrested in connection with an attack on the Gomal University in Dera Ismail Khan.

The prisoners' escape from the heavily-guarded jail, where the government had kept 156 Al Qaeda members five years ago, raised many eyebrows in the official circles.

A large-scale hunt was launched on the outskirts of the district after the escape of the prisoners and exit points of the district were sealed. Security was also enhanced at sensitive places.

Meanwhile, NWFP Inspector-General of Prisons Fazlur Rahman suspended officials concerned and ordered an inquiry into the escape of the prisoners.

He said FIR had already been registered at the police station concerned raids were being conducted for re-arrest of the militants.

It may be mentioned here that the authorities had shifted 21 top militant commanders, including a deputy of Baitullah Mehsud, from the Kohat prison to the Peshawar Central Jail last week for security reasons.

ROCKET ATTACK A man was injured when militants fired two rockets on the Kohat city early Tuesday morning.

One of the rockets landed in the Chakarkot Graveyard where one Asif was injured. The other rocket exploded in an orchard, but there were no casualties or property damage. The injured man was taken to the KDA Divisional Headquarters Hospital.

The Cantonment police registered a case against unidentified militants.

The Saddar and City police were also conducting search in their areas after reports of a third rocket landing somewhere in the mountains.