KHYBER: A boy was killed and a girl injured when a house was hit by a mortar shell in Tirah Valley here on Friday. Local sources told Dawn that the incident took place in Tangi locality of Zakhakhel area after the Friday prayers when a mortar shell fired from Dars area of Akkakhel fell on the house of Naseeb Khan. They said that a boy was killed on the spot with his body mutilated by shrapnel, while the girl was badly injured and shifted to a local clinic for immediate treatment. The sources said that the mortar was fired in retaliation to a militant attack on a security checkpost in nearby Serrai Kandaw locality. They said that an intense gun battle with use of artillery and gunship helicopters took place on Wednesday and Thursday in Bar Qambarkhel locality with no accurate information about any losses to either side. The sources said that the battle between the security forces and militants started after the latter attacked a military convoy, damaging at least two vehicles. No further details could be received about the said incident as security officials in the region didn’t share any information about these clashes. Local sources, however, said that a resident of Bagh-Markaz Bazaar lost his life when he was hit by bullets during the crossfire. They said that the market was also immediately shut down due to the intensity of crossfire between security forces and terrorists. Meanwhile, the Bagh-Markaz shopkeepers union called off their protest, which they had started after the killing of the trader, a tailor, identified as Ajmal, when local security and the administrative officials agreed to pay adequate compensation to the family of the deceased. The union president Haji Sher Mohammad said that the authorities also promised to compensate the shopkeepers for damage to their shops, which were hit by mortar shells in October and November. He, however, threatened to restart the protest if the promises were not fulfilled till January 1.