LAKKI MARWAT: Four militants and a villager were reportedly killed in a fierce gunbattle in Khankhel (Tajori) area bordering Frontier region after the suspected Uzbek militants kidnapped a union council nazim along with his two friends on Tuesday.
During the course of firing locals also captured a militant and handed him over to law enforcement agencies", sources told.
Nazim Union council Bakhmal Ahmadzai Malik Muhammad Idrees Khan and his two friends Musawwar Gul and Hayatullah were coming to Serai Gambila in a car when five armed suspected Uzbek militants intercepted them near Manzar Faqir area and whisked them away along with the car", DSP Naurang circle Umar Faraz Khattak said. He said that the personnel of law enforcement agencies were put on high alert while the roads connecting the area with the tribal region of Janikhel Wazir were closed. "The news of nazim's kidnapping spread like a jungle fire in the nearby villages upon which a 'Chagha Party' (force of armed villagers) was formed to secure the release of the nazim and his friends", sources told. DSP Khattak said that heavy contingent of police force and Frontier Constabulary rushed to the area to foil any possible attempt of shifting the hostages to the tribal belt. The armed villagers, sources said, zeroed in on the criminals in a dry rainy watercourse Nunger/Chall Nullah near Khankhel and got freed the kidnapped nazim and his friends through talks.
"Law enforcers backed by the Chagha Party laid a siege to the militants when they were stuck in the nullah after police barricaded the roads connecting the district with the tribal belt", DSP told.
Sources further said that fierce fighting started between the personnel of law enforcement agencies assisted by local armed villagers and militants when the former reportedly refused to give a safe passage to the militants to drive out of the area.
"The militants (suspected to be Uzbeks) took shelter in a long caves locally called 'Kuri' situated on vast tract of eroded lands near Khankhel and exchanged heavy firing with the personnel of law enforcing agencies backed by villagers", sources maintained, saying that several explosion were also heard.
"Fighting lasted several hours wherein four militants and a villager identified as Dilawar Khan, resident of Bachkan Ahmadzai were killed while one of the militants was captured", sources told and said: "The arrested militant seems to be an Uzbek national from his appearances".
