LANDI KOTAL, Jan 18: Security forces arrested an important militant commander here on Tuesday and repulsed an attack on a checkpost in a separate incident.

Officials said that Mobeen Khan along with three other associates were arrested from Ziyarhai area of Landi Kotal. Mobeen was said to be an important commander of banned militant organisation Lashkar-i-Islam for Bazaar-Zakkhal area.

He was also reportedly involved in a number of kidnapping and vehicle snatching cases. Security forces shifted the arrested men to the army camp in Landi Kotal for investigations.

In Bara, security forces repulsed an attack by unidentified gunmen on a checkpost near the Bara grid station on Tuesday evening. Taking advantage of dark and power suspension, militants managed to escape from the scene.

The entire Bara tehsil is without electricity for the last six days as Wapda employees union have disconnected supply in protest against the abduction of six of their colleagues from Bara on Jan 8.

Meanwhile, an oil tanker of a private company was completely destroyed due to a fire caused by an explosion at Torkhum on Monday night. Local authorities took the driver and cleaner of the tanker into their custody and started investigation. The fire also caused partial damage to a nearby kiosk and a khassadar checkpost.