15 killed, 7 injured in fresh Kurram clashes

KURRAM: Fifteen people, including two women and a child, were killed and seven others injured in armed clashes between two groups in Kurram district on Saturday, officials said.
According to police sou­r­ces, clashes broke out early in the morning when Maq­bal tribesmen allegedly opened fire, leaving two Kanj Alizai tribesmen wounded.
Soon after the incident, they said, the clashes spread to several parts of the district, adding that passenger and other vehicles were also attacked.
The sources said that the bodies and injured were taken to the district headquarters hospital, Parachinar.
“One injured person is admitted, while the others were shifted to other hospitals,” Parachinar DHQ medical superintendent Dr Syed Meer Hasan said.
Kurram Deputy Com­m­issioner Javedullah Mah­sud said that steps were being taken to restore lasting peace and to secure roads for transportation purpose.
Meanwhile, Pir Haidar Shah, member of a local jirga or tribal council, said that Jirga elders were holding talks with the tribesmen when the firing incid­ent took place, adding that the incident dealt a blow to peace efforts in the area.
In September, the dist­rict administration had en­­g­­aged a local jirga to facilitate talks bet­ween two tribes. The KP government also for­med a land commission to res­olve land disputes whi­ch are belie­ved to be the main cause of the clashes.Last month, 46 people were killed in the region over a land dispute.
Published in Dawn, October 13th, 2024