Torkham Blocked
[ I’ll eat some crow with my last analysis piece if this lasts an extended period. Who heard of the Kooki Khels before this?]
JAMRUD: An armed clash seems likely as men loyal to Lashkar-e-Islam (LI) leader Mangal Bagh have taken up positions against the Khyber Agency’s Jamrud tehsil, with initial efforts to settle the dispute through jirga nearing collapse.
Assistant Political Agent (APA) Jamrud Rasool Khan told Daily Times that several LI men had reached Jamrud tehsil from their headquarters in Bara, in a bid to establish themselves in Jamrud. He said that efforts to arrange a truce were underway but it seemed unlikely as the LI was continuing their advance towards Jamrud. He said the LI wanted to gain a foothold in Jamrud to end “smuggling and other immoral and un-Islamic” practices here.
Two jirgas: According to witnesses, the mood in the main market of Jamrud and its surrounding areas remained tense, and hooded men with machineguns fitted onto pick-up trucks were seen patrolling the region. They said that MNA Hamidullah Afridi, who belonged to the Kooki Khel tribe, had convened a jirga to achieve a truce but it had ended without results. Malik Darya Khan of the Zakha Khel tribe then called another jirga, which was still continuing, they added. However, Rasool claimed that the jirga convened by Hamidullah was still underway, adding that Darya Khan’s jirga would be summoned if the former failed to achieve a truce. Bara APA Ghulam Habib, when approached for comments, said that efforts were underway to end tension in the area.
Locals said that the Frontier Corps (FC) personnel, deployed near Jamrud, had been removed. The Jamrud APA said that the security forces had been moved to Parachinar.