Operation continues in Jamrud Fata senator quits in protest
Thursday, January 01, 2009
By Nasrullah Afridi & Ashrafuddin
JAMRUD/LANDIKOTAL: Security forces on Wednesday continued pounding base camps of suspected militants in Jamrud subdivision of Khyber Agency for the second day, demolishing houses and Hujras of several tribal chieftains with explosives, besides rounding up a number of suspects.
Security officials also claimed to have recovered a huge cache of arms from the residence of an elder of the Kokikhel tribe. The houses and Hujras of nine influential tribesmen accused of harbouring militants and criminals were dynamited.
The political authorities claimed to have arrested 122 suspects, including 116 foreigners, during the operation. Wakeel, Khanzeb, Usmanzeb, Aqeel, Saeed and Najeebullah were among the held suspects. Seven wanted tribesmen also surrendered before the political authorities.
The residences and Hujras of tribal elders including Malik Attaullah Jan Kokikhel, Malik Ahmad Khan, Malik Khanzeb, Sher Shah, Haji Najeebullah and Haji Saleem, were blown up with dynamite during the action.
A colonel identified as Atif and a soldier sustained injuries while dynamiting the residence of another tribal elder, Muhammad Noor. Perturbed over the demolition of his house, Ikramullah, son of Malik Attaullah Jan, told The News: We have not sheltered any militant and have always remained loyal to the country. But Political Agent Tariq Hayat alleged that Malik Attaullah Jan was harbouring a militant, Yahya Hijrat, alias Mustafa Kamran, an Afghan national and former Taliban official in Nangarhar province, who was arrested by security forces before Eidul Azha.
The house and Hujra of Senator Nasir Khan was also demolished in Shahkas, prompting the lawmaker to resign from the Upper House of parliament in protest.
Talking to The News by phone from his home, he denied harbouring militants and said: Being a senator, I have taken an oath to be loyal to the nation and the country, but the security forces demolished my house without any reason.
The hideouts of the militants and criminals were pounded with gunship helicopters, tanks and artillery, while the Peshawar-Jalalabad Highway was closed for all kinds of traffic, including supplies for Nato forces in Afghanistan.
On Tuesday, the security forces had hit the base camps of suspected militants in Ghariza, Wali Baba, Sheikh Siddiq Kilay, Ghundi, Shahkas, Tedi Bazaar and several other areas with the aid of choppers and artillery shelling to secure the main supply route for Nato forces across the Durand Line.
Addressing a press conference, Political Agent of Khyber Agency Tariq Hayat announced compensation of Rs 100,000 each for three civilians, who were killed during the operation and Rs 40,000 for each injured person.
Meanwhile, the military operation in Jamrud has badly affected common people in Landikotal. They cannot commute to the Khyber Pass because of curfew in Jamrud. Patients have been lying in the Landikotal hospital, who could not be shifted to Peshawar hospitals even in ambulances, the hospital sources said.
Four persons, who were injured in the military operation, have also been admitted to hospital here, while one of them, Gultan Khan, had reportedly expired.
Operation continues in Jamrud Fata senator quits in protest