Two civilians were killed on Saturday and five people were injured, including an army soldier, when militants attacked an army convoy with a remote-controlled bomb at Patassy Ada in North Waziristan.At 8:30am the army convoy was heading towards Bannu from Miranshah when the militants targeted it at Patassy Ada in Mir Ali tehsil, injuring a soldier and damaging a vehicle. Security forces retaliated, killing two passers-by and injuring four other civilians. The deceased were identified as Sakhi Jan of Edik and Riaz Ali of Eisori village. The injured are Bakhti Jan of Maichi Khel, Malik Khanan Khan of Tappi, Nookh Ali of Mooski and a girl from Eisori.
Also on Saturday at around 1:30am, militants fired two missiles at Amin checkpost southwest of Miranshah. One missile landed near the checkpost and the other hit the roof of bunkers, injuring a soldier. The security forces retaliated, but no damage was done. A civilian was found dead on Saturday morning from the same area. He was identified as Qader Jan, a resident of Miranshah. The security forces arrested four suspected people at the Eisha checkpost and recovered 8 hand grenades and four Klashnikov rifles from them.
Militants also exploded a bomb on Saturday at Tarakai Levies checkpost in Bajaur Agency, but no casualties were reported. The bomb was planted at the Levies checkpost near the Raghgan commercial centre in Khar. The checkpost was partially damaged. Separately, miscreants killed three policemen in an ambush in Hangu, Aaj TV reported.
A police team was patrolling Hangu's main road when the miscreants opened fire on them, killing constables Din Khan, Ahmad Hussain and Lal Muhammad. Two civilians Hayat Nawaz and Khalid Nawaz were also injured. They were admitted to hospital.
AFP adds: Cobra helicopters killed three suspected militants, pounding what was believed to be their base, after the firefight on Saturday in Mir Ali town of North Waziristan, the military said. "A security convoy was passing when an improvised explosive device planted by militants exploded, causing no harm to the security personnel," ISPR Director General Major General Waheed Arshad told AFP. "Armed miscreants then attacked security men with automatic weapons that injured a soldier. In retaliatory firing by helicopters three miscreants were killed," he said.