LANDI KOTAL/NOWSHERA, Sept 24: Security forces on Saturday morning killed four militants in an air strike in Tirah valley of Khyber Agency.

In a separate incident, police shot dead a Taliban commander, Jamaluddin, in Akora Khattak area of Nowshera district early on Saturday.

The Tirah Valley official said the strike was carried out on two hideouts of militants in Serhai near Afghan border. Locals, however, claimed that only a woman was wounded in the strike, which partially damaged the house of Sher Muhammad.

Noor Zahir told Dawn that the area had no sanctuaries of militants. He said the air strike targeted innocent tribesmen not militants.

Meanwhile, a deserted house of an activist of local peace lashkar was partially destroyed by explosives in Akkakhel area ofBara.

An official said militants of the banned Lashkar-i-Islam outfit were behind the attack on Haji Khan.

He said the house was deserted by Haji Khan after the start of military operation.

Meanwhile, vehicular traffic to Afghanistan came to a halt due to closure of Torkham border after Pakistani and Afghan guards exchanged hot words over an arrest.

An official said the incident occurred after Pakistani guards arrested an Afghan border guard after he crossed the border.

He said though the arrested guard was allowed to return, the border remained closed with officials of the two sides awaiting consent of their bosses to open it. The officials said pedestrians were allowed to use the border.

Transporters, especially those carrying Nato supplies, expressed the fear that militants might target their vehicles in case of any delay in the opening of the border.

Taliban commander killed

District police officer Nowshera Mohammad Hussain told reporters that militant commander Jamaluddin, also known as Qari Basit and Janat Gul, was killed in an encounter in Tarkhel area of Akora Khattak early on Saturday, while his four accomplices escaped.

He said police also seized two hand grenades, one Kalashnikov and scores of rounds.

The DPO said police raided the Tarkhel area on a tip-off that militant commander Jamaluddin, resident of Shahbaz Kali, Kohat, was present there.

He said the slain commander was wanted by Kohat police for the June 2006 bombing, which killed five people.

According to Hussain, Jamaluddin was also wanted by Peshawar police for attack on a police van, which led to killing of three personnel and escape of two Taliban militants.

The DPO said the Taliban commander was two kidnapping for ransom and killing cases in Akora Khattak.