Police said they requested reinforcements after around 200 militants surrounded a police station in the Hangu district of Northwest Frontier Province late Wednesday to demand the release of seven suspected extremists.

‘The Taleban ended the siege of the police station around 3:00 am (2100 GMT) when troops started arriving,’ local police station chief Jehangir Khan told AFP.

An intelligence official said the detainees were among the close circle of tribal warlord Baitullah Mehsud, who has been accused of plotting the assassination of ex-premier Benazir Bhutto. Mehsud denies the charge.

Authorities have imposed a curfew in the area and troops were patrolling the streets, residents said.

Hangu district, which has a history of violence between minority Shia and majority Sunni sects, is close to tribal areas bordering Afghanistan where pro-Taleban militants are active.

Separately, the government signed a truce agreement with Islamic militants in Khyber tribal district late Wednesday after a 10-day paramilitary operation in the area, officials said.