BAJAUR: Rival groups have taken up positions against each other in a mountainous area of Ma mond tehsil, sparking fears of a potential armed clash.

Local residents said on Wednesday that the situation in the Gbarai area, near the Pak-Afghan border, has escalated into high tension after the people of rival tribes -Lowagikhel and Kharikhel -established bunkers against each other in their respective areas atop mountains on Tuesday.

The area people said members of the rival tribes, who had a long running land dispute claiming around a dozen lives, took up the positions after members of one of the groups reportedly refused to follow the decision of a jirga of the elders of Mamond tehsil.

The residents asked the district administration and police to take notice of the flare-up. They expressed fear that a clash could start anytime if elders of the rival tribes didn`t engage in peace talks immediately.

Meanwhile, an official of the district administration said a jirga had been tasked with resolving the issue peacefully. Correspondent