MIRANSHAH, April 21: Paramilitary forces looking for militants laid siege to homes of tribesmen in Mirali tehsil of the North Waziristan Agency on Thursday. Officials said paramilitary forces, backed by armed personnel carriers and light cannons, cordoned off Haiderkhel village in Mirali tehsil early on Thursday morning and searched nine houses.

Sources said the security forces sealed off the entire area at about 5.30am and started house-to-house search, which continued for over three hours.

However, no suspect was caught from the residential compounds of the remote area inhabited by the Ahmadzai Wazir tribe.

An official said that women constables, who were brought from the adjacent Bannu district, assisted the security forces in the search operation.