Undeterred by the recent suicide attack on a tribal Jirga that claimed 22 lives, the Salarzai tribal elders on Sunday resolved to continue their armed drive against the militants as another 16 Taliban were killed in attacks by warplanes and gunship helicopters in Bajaur Agency.
Tribal sources told The News from Bajaur on telephone that influential tribal elders of the Salarzai Tehsil held a meeting at an undisclosed location in which they decided to continue the unfinished mission of their fellow tribal colleagues to make Bajaur free of terrorists and kidnappers.
Tribal elders, including Shahabuddin Khan, former MNA Malik Mohammad Younas Tali, Malik Abdul Nasir and Malik Manasib Khan, who along with Haji Fazal Karim of Baro and other elders, had raised the tribesmen against the militants, have convened another meeting today (Monday).
Though they would meet at Pashat, the native village of former MNA Shahabuddin Khan, the venue of the meeting has been kept secret for security reasons.
Senior tribal journalist Hasbanullah Khan told The News from Khar on telephone that the Salarzai tribal elders would also choose a leader for their Lashkar as the former chief, Haji Fazal Karim, a retired Sergeant Major of Bajaur Levies, had died in the suicide attack on the Jirga along with 21 other elders.
The elders also pledged to chalk out their future plan against the militants and to keep them away from the Salarzai Tehsil. Tribal elder Malik Manasib said they would avenge the killing of each tribesman who died in Thursday’s suicide attack.
The Salarzai tribal elders, who had set an example by raising tribal Lashkars and successfully driving the militants out of their areas, said their hopes were high. They demanded of the government to continue the ongoing military operation till the complete elimination of the militants from Bajaur.
The elders felt that the militants were still posing a serious threat to peace in Bajaur and feared they could start target killings of pro-peace and pro-government tribal elders if the operation was halted and the troops called back.
“They are on the run now and no more running a parallel administration here,” commented a tribal elder Malik Abdul Nasir, while talking to The News. His father, Malik Mohammad Ayaz Khan, also known as Nazakai Malik, had died along with his son and gunman, political Tehsildar Wisal Khan and journalist Dr Noor Hakim Khan when the militants blew up their vehicle at Mulla Said Darra.
He said they had cleaned 90 per cent of the Salarzai Tehsil of the militants and were planning to destroy their hideouts in the remaining 10 per cent when the militants carried out the suicide attack on them.
Tribal elders feared that like other areas, the government would also bomb their areas if they failed to expel the militants from Salarzai. Some of the elders, who spoke on condition of anonymity, were not satisfied with the government action to drive the militants out.
Military authorities, meanwhile, said warplanes and gunship choppers on Sunday pounded militant locations in Kharki, Damadola, Sheenkot and Sperkai villages of Mamond and Zorbandar, Loisam and Sabagai areas of Khar subdivision.
The officials said they learnt from militants’ intercepts that 16 militants had lost their lives and several sustained injuries. In Mamond, which is the most troubled spot of Bajaur Agency after Charmang, the government pushed tribal elders to take practical steps against the militants or face bombing.
The tribal elders there had been holding a series of Jirgas to raise Lashkars but could not make any serious headway. However, Malik Sultanzeb said their talks with elders of other villages in Mamond had entered a crucial phase and they would soon launch action against the militants.
Also, the Mamond tribesmen asked the Afghan refugees living there for years to leave the area after reports that majority of them were involved in attacks on government installations and offering resistance against the security forces in Bajaur.
The Afghan refugees have been given a three-day deadline to return to their country or the tribesmen would be compelled to use force against them. The tribesmen fear the government would target their houses if they failed to expel the Afghans from their areas.