ISLAMABAD, May 1 (Xinhua) -- Three people were killed and four others injured in a target killing and subsequent crossfire between a local peace committee and unidentified militants in Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Friday, official sources said.
The incident happened at around 12:10 p.m. local time (0710 GMT) in North Waziristan district, where members of a local peace committee exchanged fire with unknown militants following the killing of a tribal elder, the sources told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.
The slain elder was known for opposing militant elements in the area, and members of his tribe exchanged fire with the militants to avenge his killing, the sources added.
The exchange of fire is still underway in parts of the area, and additional security forces have been deployed to control the situation, the sources said.
The injured were shifted to a nearby hospital for treatment.
North Waziristan, a former tribal district bordering Afghanistan, has witnessed sporadic incidents of violence despite improved security conditions in recent years. ■