* Blast near Saidu Sharif Police Lines, no casualties
* Jirga making efforts for peace deal between govt, cleric
MINGORA: Gunship helicopters pounded suspected militant positions in Swat district hours after a temporary ceasefire between security forces and insurgents loyal to Maulana Fazlullah collapsed on Wednesday. At least 15 to 18 insurgents were killed in the clashes. “Fresh clashes resumed after the militants attacked security forces late on Tuesday night. The security personnel retaliated and gunship helicopters were used to hit the militants’ positions,” a senior administration official told Daily Times. Administration sources said that a paramilitary camp in Kanju and an army base in Kabal were attacked, but there were no casualties. According to AFP, the militants fired at an army chopper hovering over Matta, prompting the gunship to attack three rebel positions, officials said. NWFP Home Secretary Badshah Gul Wazir told Daily Times that at least 15 to 18 militants including Tariq, a close aide of Fazlullah, were killed in the clashes. The security forces suffered no casualties, he added. Wazir said that the militants had also set up barricades at various roads and were harassing commuters.
Civilians wounded: Hospital sources in Matta told Daily Times that several wounded civilians were brought in for treatment. There were reports that some injured militants were also brought to the hospital.
Saidu Sharif blast: Early on Wednesday, a powerful bomb exploded near the Saidu Sharif Police Lines, but no casualty was reported. Meanwhile, efforts are being made to broker a peace deal between the government and the militants.
Peace efforts: An all-parties jirga has formed a group to talk to Maulana Fazlullah and the government to find a peaceful solution to the issue. “We are waiting for a green signal from NWFP Governor Ali Jan Orakzai and Maulana Fazlullah for a meeting to discuss ways for peace in the district,” Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl NWFP chief Senator Gul Naseeb told Daily Times. Naseeb said the governor sought time to discuss the idea with the federal government before agreeing to meet the jirga while Maulana Fazlullah had yet to be contacted to seek his approval for a possible peace deal.
Appeals for peace also echoed in the streets of Mingora in a rally organised by the Kanju Islahi Committee. The rally participants urged Maulana Fazlullah and the government to resolve the issue peacefully. Separately, a supporter of Fazlullah known as Mullah Nidar warned in a speech over the radio that the militants may use suicide attackers if the government launched any major operation in Swat, AFP reported