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10 dead as militants battle in Tirah Valley

* LI and AI offer conflicting accounts of casualties
* Five Khasadars kidnapped from Jamrud

PESHAWAR: Around 10 people were killed and more than 30 others injured as clashes between two rival militant groups continued for the second consecutive day in the Khyber Agency’s Tirah Valley on Sunday, locals said.

The Lashkar-e-Islam (LI) and the Ansarul Islam (AI) groups, however, have given conflicting accounts of the casualties.

A purported LI commander told Daily Times by telephone that the LI had killed around 12 AI men, while also admitting the death of four LI men.

However, an AI spokesman said the AI had killed 18 LI men, adding that only five AI activists had been killed in the fighting.

The clashes erupted on Saturday when the LI attacked the Sandpal area in the Tirah Valley. Sandpal is considered to be an LI stronghold in the Khyber Agency.

Local sources said activists of Bara-based warlord Haji Namdar had also joined the LI.

The locals said AI men had been expelled from Sandpal to Shlobar, where the activists of Haji Namdar and the LI had surrounded them.

Officials from the Khyber Agency political administration were not available for comment.

Kidnapped: Unidentified gunmen kidnapped five Khasadars (tribal policemen) from Jamrud, Dawn News reported. daud khattak/daily times monitor

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