BARA, Pakistan, (Reuters) – Villagers found 14 bullet-ridden bodies scattered around the Bara area of the northwestern Khyber tribal region near the Afghanistan border yesterday, as Pakistani security forces step up military offensives against militants.
Yesterday’s discovery was made two days after 12 more bodies, also bearing signs of torture and numerous bullet-wounds, were discovered in the same area, 15 km (nine miles) south of Peshawar.
“They were taken into custody by the paramilitary Frontier Corps a few days back from Sepah area after unknown people attacked the FC post and killed four soldiers,” a tribesman told Reuters, requesting anonymity because he feared for his safety.
Another witness, Torab Ali, said all the bodies had had acid thrown on their faces, making identification difficult. “We don’t have any medical expertise but we think they were killed two or three days ago,” he added.
No one has acknowledged any connection with the deaths.
Frontier Corps takes lead
against militants
An official for the Frontier Corps (FC), which has taken the lead against militants in the Khyber agency, said he knew nothing about the bodies and that the men were never in the custody of the FC.
“It is possible they have been killed earlier during the military operation and their bodies recovered now,” the official said, who asked for anonymity. “The FC has been conducting military operations against the terrorists in Bara and other areas of Khyber tribal region.”
Another security official who requested anonymity said the operations — conducted since Monday against the banned militant organisation Lashkar-e-Islam (LeI) — had killed 25 militants and four troops. Twelve soldiers have been injured.
He said no one had been killed in custody and “any such report is baseless and devoid of facts”.
Fighting in the Bara area of Khyber, which sits astride a strategic supply route for NATO forces fighting in Afghanistan, has increased markedly in the past week, with security forces conducting a search and cordon operation.
