BAJAUR: Three children were wounded when two mortar shells fired from an undisclosed location hit two houses in the hilly Shekhan Banda Malasaid area of Salarzai tehsil here late on Wednesday evening.

Local residents, Rescue 1122 and police officials said on Thursday that the two mortar shells fired hit the houses of local residents Saidur Rehman and Islamul Haq areas leaving three children wounded.

They said the children were preparing for dinner along with other family members when the mortar shells struck their homes.

The local residents said that several chickens and some cattle in both the affected homes were also killed in the incident, which caused panic among the villagers. In a statement, Rescue 1122 said that upon receiving the information about the mishap, a team of its medical workers was immediately rushed to the locality to shift the wounded children to District Headquarters Hospital, Khar, for treatment.

The statement while quoting the doctors at the hospital said the condition of all the children, whose ages were between nine to 12 years, was stated to be stabled.

The police have also confirmed the incident and launched an investigation.

Meanwhile, a man was killed during an exchange of fire between two rival groups over a piece of land in Plang area near Khar town on Thursday.

Police and Rescue 1122 said that the victim identified as Ismail Khan, 27, was critically wounded in the incident and he breathed his last while being shifted to Khar hospital.

A senior police official of Khar police station, who along with a team of police personnel visited the site, told Dawn that a case against both the rival groups had been registered.