25 die in tribal shootout

At least 25 people were killed in a tribal clash between two tribes along the Pak-Afghan border near Miranshah, some 315 km from the Pakistani northwestern frontier provincial capital of Peshawar.

The tension between Darpakhel and Tabiwal tribes had taken a violent turn on Wednesday when both sides took hostages from the other. Both sides frequently use heavy weapons such as rockets, mortar guns and machine guns. The area is the same town where during the last three months several rocket attacks were carried out on the US intelligence officers, who were residing in a technical institute and were stationed to hunt Taliban and al-Qaeda fugitives.

The area has been vacated and Miranshah-Ghulam Khan road has been blocked because of seriousness of the conflict. On Wednesday two bodies were found on the Miranshah-Ghulam Khan road while two were recovered from a house destroyed by rockets on Thursday morning. Whereas on Friday officials and residents said the feud had claimed 25 lives since Wednesday with 11 Afghan refugees when shells hit a house and a mosque in the Darga area. At least 10 members of the warring tribes have also been killed.

Another report said that four people have also been killed of the Durdani tribe, a different tribe. Life in the main Miranshah, inhabited by both tribes, remained paralyzed.

The tension between the two rival tribes is going on for the last three years on the ownership of a hilly area. The dispute was decided by the Jirga but its decisions were never implemented. With clashes going on between the two, it is being feared that more people could lose their lives. Utmanzai elders are trying to make peace between the two tribes.

Safiullah Gul PRAVDA.Ru Pakistan