Militants start vacating Mohmand 'Lal Masjid'

The hooded and armed militants have started vacation of the mausoleum of Haji Sahib Turangzai, great freedom fighter and mosque after holding successful rounds of negotiations with the members of jirga, reports pouring from the far-flung hamlet of Mohmand Agency said on Wednesday.
About hundreds hooded armed men occupied the mausoleum and mosque at Ghaziabad, Tehsil Lakaro, Mohmand Agency. The armed men with their commander Omar Khalid announced to construct a madrassah on the pattern of the recently demolished Jamia Hafsa Islamabad and renamed the mosque of the compound as Lal Masjid. The words were chalked with red colour to symbolise it with the Lal Masjid and bloodshed made during the Operation Silence.
According to political administration and members of negotiating team, the armed men had ended occupation of both mausoleum and mosque. However, the commander of the militants claimed starting admission of the students to the madrassah, saying further efforts would also remain continue.
"We had cut down the number of the deployed militants as per our defence strategy," said a local journalist while quoting commander Omar Khalid. However, he said militants numbering 10 to 15 were still present in the premises of both mausoleum and mosque. The hooded militants claimed that they are local and no foreign was among them.
The political administration has restricted the movement of media men in the agency. The authorities allowing no one to reached the hotspot of Ghaziabad. Dr Nasir Bacha, a member of the 8-member Safi tribe peace Jirga has also confirmed cut in the presence of armed militants. "I am confident that the matter would be resolved through negotiations. Such outcomes of the peace process would be better," he told while talking on phone from Ghaziabad. He said that such problems create difficulties for both country as well as its military.
He said that the armed militants would have to leave the area as whole tribe is united against the occupation. The people, he said, never allow the digging of billets on the spiritual place of their area. He said these people would enjoy the support of the government. He said that beside Safis, other tribes would also support the initiative of their tribe.
The tribal Jirga has agreed to establish a madrassah at the mosque of the mausoleum. However, they said they express no interest in renaming it after Jamia Hafsa or Lal Masjid.