PESHAWAR: At least 38 people were killed and several others wounded on Thursday when a convoy carrying civilians in the conflict-hit northwestern Kurram district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) was attacked by unknown assailants, the district administration confirmed.
Kurram, a former semi-autonomous tribal area bordering Afghanistan, has a long history of violent conflicts that have claimed hundreds of lives over the years. A major conflict in the district, triggered in 2007, lasted for years before being resolved by a jirga, a council of tribal elders, in 2011.
More recently, clashes erupted over a property dispute in July, leaving the region in a state of tension. The ongoing unrest has intermittently claimed over 50 lives and injured more than 150 people. Authorities had earlier shut down roads leading to the area for all traffic during the conflict, later providing security for convoys to ensure safer travel.
“We are in touch with KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and the province’s inspector general police due to the incidents taking place there since they need our help,” Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said during a media interaction in Islamabad, as he referred to rising instances of militancy in KP. “Thirty-eight people have been killed in Kurram today.”
Prior to Naqvi’s statement, Kurram Deputy Commissioner Javid Ullah Mehsud told Arab News over the phone the convoy of commuters was traveling from Peshawar to Parachinar in Upper Kurram when it came under attack in the Uchat Kali area of Lower Kurram.
“Thirty-two people have been killed and several others injured. We are gathering further information,” he said, adding that a rescue operation was underway.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also took notice of the development, condemned the incident and describing the attack on civilians as an act of “barbarity.”
“Enemies of the country’s peace attacked a convoy of innocent civilians, which is tantamount to animalistic behavior,” he said in a statement. “We will thwart the evil attempts by anti-state elements to destroy the peace of our country.”
The prime minister directed the authorities to identify the perpetrators of the attack and ensure they were brought to justice.
“The miscreants involved in the incident must be given exemplary punishment,” he said.
Local elders, law enforcement agencies and health officials contributed to the rescue efforts soon after the attack on the convoy.
“The locals helped in the rescue operation,” Islam Gul Orakzai, a local youth representative, told Arab News. “We played our role to ensure respect for the dead and assist in the recovery efforts.”
Orakzai said the entire region was in mourning after the tragic incident.
“We want peace in our region,” he continued, emphasizing the toll the ongoing law and order situation has taken on the local population.
Attack on civilian convoy in Pakistan’s northwestern Kurram district kills 38
https://arab.news/bsz7k
Attack on civilian convoy in Pakistan’s northwestern Kurram district kills 38
- Kurram, a former semi-autonomous tribal area, has a long history of violent conflicts
- PM Sharif has asked the authorities to identify the attackers and bring them to justice
Pakistan’s president defends ongoing strikes in Afghanistan, urges Kabul to dismantle militants
- Afghanistan on Thursday launched attacks in retaliation for Pakistani airstrikes the previous Sunday
- Pakistan’s military says it is only targeting Afghan military installations to avoid civilian casualties
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s president on Monday defended his country’s ongoing military strikes in neighboring Afghanistan, saying Islamabad tried all forms of diplomacy before targeting militants operating from Afghan territory, and called on the Taliban government in Kabul to disarm groups responsible for attacks in Pakistan.
Pakistan earlier said it is in “open war” with Afghanistan, alarming the international community. The border area remains a stronghold for militant organizations including Al-Qaeda and the Daesh (Islamic State) group.
“(The Afghan Taliban) must choose to dismantle the terror groups that survive on conflict and its war economy,” Asif Ali Zardari said during a speech to lawmakers, adding that “no state accepts serial attacks on its soil.”
Afghanistan on Thursday launched attacks in retaliation for Pakistani airstrikes the previous Sunday. Since then, Pakistan has carried out operations along the border, with Information Minister Attaullah Tarar claiming the killing of 435 Afghan forces and the capture of 31 Afghan positions.
Kabul has denied such claims.
In Afghanistan, the deputy government spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat said Pakistan’s military fired mortar shells at a refugee camp in eastern Kunar province, killing three children and injuring three others.
Afghanistan’s defense ministry said Afghan forces carried out strikes targeting a Pakistani military facility near Paktia province, causing “substantial losses and heavy casualties.”
Pakistan’s military did not respond to questions. It has said Pakistan is only targeting Afghan military installations to avoid civilian casualties.
Pakistan has witnessed a surge of violence in recent months and blames it on the outlawed Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP. It operates both inside Pakistan and from Afghan territory.
Islamabad accuses Afghanistan’s Taliban government of providing safe havens for the TTP, which Kabul denies.
The latest cross-border fighting ended a ceasefire brokered by Qatar and Turkiye in October. The two sides failed to reach a permanent agreement during talks in Istanbul.
Zardari reiterated Pakistan’s call for talks, saying, “We have never walked away from dialogue.”
The Pakistani leader again accused Afghanistan of acting as a proxy for India by sheltering militant groups.
“Stop being used by another country as a battlefield for their ambitions,” he said.
Zardari cited a recent report from the United Nations Security Council’s monitoring team that described the presence of militant groups in Afghanistan as an extra-regional threat.
