By ANTARA,
Peshawar : At least 14 people, including a soldier and several children, were killed when mortar shells slammed into a town in northwest Pakistan on Monday, the military and local officials said.
“At least 13 civilians were killed when militants fired mortar shells from Mirwali direction at Abbas Chowk in Darra Adam Khel,” a military statement said. One soldier also died, it added.
“Security forces also responded and effectively engaged militants` locations,” it said, without giving further details.
Residents and officials said several shells landed in an open area on the outskirts of town, where children were playing and people were watching.
A local government official, Atif Khan, earlier told AFP that at least 12 people were killed and six injured, all were civilians. The casualties were caused by mortar shells, which also damaged some nearby houses, he added.
Khan and residents said several children were among the dead.
No militant group has so far claimed responsibility for the shelling.
A security official denied there had been any military operation in the area.
An angry mob of around 200 people protesting against the killings blocked a highway linking the town with Peshawar, the main city in North West Frontier Province, and southern Pakistan.
The town, known for its weapons market, has become a stronghold of Taliban extremists. A Polish engineer, who was beheaded at the weekend, was kidnapped by a Taliban group in the area last September.
Unrest is spreading along Pakistan`s northwest border with Afghanistan. Government troops have pressed offensives against Islamist militants in the semi-autonomous tribal region and the once scenic valley of Swat.(*)