Two troops killed in Orakzai attack
HANGU, July 26: Two paramilitary troops were killed on Sunday night when some Al-Qaeda-linked militants attacked a checkpoint in Ghoz Dara area in Orakzai, witnesses said on Monday.
Those killed in the terrorist attack have been identified as Amin Ali and Habib Ali. After the attack, the militants eacaped and took refuge in the house of a local tribal elder. The parmilitary troops besieged the entire area and after talks with the tribesmen which continuted for 20 hours, the militants surrendered themselves before the authorities, the witnesses said.
They said of the arrested militants one was an Uzbek and the the other was his local accomplice, who belonged to the Fedrozkhel tribe. Both the militants have been shifted to an undisclosed location for interrogation, official sources told Dawn on condition of anonymity.
GOVT RESOLVE: In a related development, NWFP Governor Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah declared that the government was ready to settle Wana issue in accordance with the Shakai agreement, adds APP.
The governor also held out an assurance that economic sanctions would be lifted against those sub-tribes of Ahmedzai Wazir Tribe that gave a guarantee of their allegiance and agreed to the government's conditions.
A suggestion to this effect was floated by a delegation comprising Fata parliamentarians who called on him here at the Governor House. Led by Senator Malik Muhammad Ajmal, the team held in-depth discussion with the governor on Wana situation.
It was agreed at the meeting that a delegation of lawmakers would visit Wana to hold talks with the tribes concerned. The team might sign a pact with the tribesmen if they agreed to government's terms and conditions. Speaking to the team, the governor said the government was willing to settle the issue through political means, but it would not back out of its terms. -APP