LANDI KOTAL (Khyber Agency), March 27: One person was killed and 12 others were injured when two rival groups exchanged heavy gunfire in Bara on Monday. The incident took place in Sur Dhand area, near Fort Saloop, when supporters of Mufti Munir Shakir tried to demolish the house of an Afghan refugee, Bacha Gul alias Bacha Jee.

Sources said that Mufti’s supporters believed that while leaving Bara in early February their opponent Pir Saifur Rehman had shifted his arms and ammunition to the house of Bacha Jee, one of his staunch disciple.

An armed wing of the Mufti supporters, Lashkar-i-Islam, had reportedly issued a notice to Bacha Jee a few days ago to surrender his house and arms to the group, otherwise his house would be demolished. Upon his refusal, some armed men surrounded the house with heavy weapons at around 12 noon on Monday. Soon an intense a gun battle started between the two rival groups.

It is also learnt that the personnel of Mehsood scouts stationed at the nearby Fort Sloop also fired in the air to scare away the warring groups, but to no avail.

The political administration dispatched two jirgas to the troubled spot in their bid to negotiate a ceasefire, but the gun battle continued till the filing of this report.