GHALANAI: A powerful blast at the site of their scheduled jirga in the early hours of Wednesday morning and an explicitly threatening letter failed to intimidate tribal elders who met later on Wednesday to discuss threats to peace in Mohmand Agency, administration officials and elders said. “We condemn the bomb blast and cannot allow individuals to disturb peace in our region,” tribal elder Muhammad Ali Haleemzai told reporters after the jirga in the Mian Mandi area near Ghalanai. A bomb was detonated at 2:40am where the jirga was scheduled to meet later that day, and a letter in Pushto left at the site warned participants not to convene the jirga. No loss of life or damage to property was reported, and no group has yet claimed responsibility for the blast. However, Assistant Political Agent Islam Zeb said it the was work of “miscreants,” a term used to describe pro-Taliban tribal militants. “Some anti-Taliban elements and hypocrites will gather at this place. If these elders are sincere to people, they should move against drugs and other dens, CD shops and liquor sellers. “Today’s explosion is just a warning and if anyone attends such anti-Taliban jirgas, their heads will be chopped off before they reach the meeting place,” the letter left at the site of the explosion read. Tribal elders ignored the threat and convened the jirga to discuss the situation in Mohmand Agency, bordering Bajaur and overlooking Afghanistan’s Nangarhar and Kunar provinces, where Taliban-linked activities have been reported. “We have traditions and all issues must be resolved under tribal traditions,” Haleemzai said.