ISLAMABAD: At least 50 people, including eight women and five children, were killed and 30 injured when armed men ambushed a passenger vehicle convoy in the northwestern tribal district of Kurram on Thursday. PakistanKhyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan.
The attack took place in the remote area of ​​Ochat when the convoy, which had about 200 vehicles, was on its way to Peshawar from Parachinar, the administrative headquarters of the region.
According to provincial spokesperson Barrister Saif, the attackers first targeted the police escort of the convoy before firing at the vehicles from both sides. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Secretary Nadeem Aslam Chaudhry said that the death toll may increase as the condition of 11 injured is critical.
Karam Deputy Commissioner Javedullah Mehsud said that the caravans were carrying members of the Shia community. During the attack, women and children took shelter in local houses.
The hill district of Kurram has a long history of sectarian violence between Sunni and Shia groups. In recent years, it has become a hotbed of attacks by the Pakistani Taliban. Islamic state (IS) terrorists, both of whom are fiercely anti-Shia.
Kurram, a region with a large Taliban presence, has seen repeated clashes this year between Sunni and Shiite tribes, often linked to land disputes. Violence in July led to the signing of an inter-tribal ceasefire on August 2, but tensions flared again in late September when 25 people were killed. More violence followed on October 12, when another convoy was attacked, killing 15 people, which blocked the main highway to Karam.
Thalparachinar Road was reopened to limited travel under police protection in recent days, but Thursday’s attack showed the fragility of security in the area.
Residents reported a tense atmosphere, with road closures affecting daily activities and a mobile internet blackout now in its third month.
Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned the attack on unarmed people, saying: “This past week has been difficult and disturbing. We now see a new terrorist attack every day.