Troops defeated an attack by hundreds of militants in a restive tribal region this week, inflicting heavy casualties, officials said on Friday.The attack came hours after thousands of armed tribesmen met at Wana in South Waziristan on Wednesday, vowing to organise a lashkar to hunt down Al Qaeda-linked militants blamed for killing eight of their kinsmen. “Around 250-300 miscreants concentrated and attempted to attack Ladha Fort and Ladha checkpost on the night of January 9 to 10,” chief military spokesman Major General Waheed Arshad told AFP.
He said the security forces retaliated with artillery and small arms fire. “The miscreants were forced to retreat and reportedly suffered heavy casualties,” Arshad added.
Meanwhile, APP reported that the curfew in Swat has been relaxed from 7am to 6pm, except in Bariam Bridge, Wanai Bridge and Piochar Valley. Separately, it was reported that four members of a family were wounded when mortar shells hit their house at Mamond village, some five kilometres west of Khar in Bajaur Agency on Friday morning, an official said.
Political tehsildar Sardar Yousaf told APP that a group of militants equipped with rockets and mortar shell attacked Bajaur Scout camp at Badwal Kot around 7.15am on Friday. He said security forces retaliated, but the militants escaped from the scene.