Despite a new ceasefire agreement, sectarian clashes between warring tribes in District Kurram continued into the eighth day on Thursday, with the death toll rising to 107.
Police reported that recent fighting resulted in five deaths and nine injuries despite the immediate implementation of a 10-day ceasefire announced by the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s office in Kurram.
To date, the conflict has taken 107 lives, including 52 in an attack on a convoy on November 21. This recent wave of violence has also caused 55 deaths and 140 injuries.
Clashes Escalate in Kurram Agency Following Sectarian Violence
Following the burning of Bagan Bazaar and the beheading of a Sunni imam by Shia militants, Sunni forces have mobilized from tribal areas and attacked Shia-dominated villages, including Irfan, Jelamai, and Chardiwari.… pic.twitter.com/Ba0GUTd8Ah
— Kabul Frontline (@KabulFrontline) November 25, 2024Due to ongoing violence, the district administration has closed the Parachinar-Peshawar road for eight days. Kurram Deputy Commissioner Javedullah Mehsud noted that the closure has also halted trade with Afghanistan at the Kharlachi border and suspended internet and mobile phone services, exacerbating local difficulties.
However, Mehsud mentioned that measures are being taken to enforce the ceasefire. “A jirga of elders from Hangu, Orakzai, and Kohat is arriving in Parachinar for discussions. The parties have consented to the ceasefire, and efforts to fully implement the truce are ongoing,” he stated.
Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government announced on Wednesday that law enforcement personnel will be deployed in the Kurram district as sectarian clashes have killed at least 63 and injured over 150. https://t.co/ZPg8MVjamo
— Arab News Pakistan (@arabnewspk) November 28, 2024The latest outbreak of violence began last Thursday when attackers ambushed two separate convoys under police escort. Police have struggled to control the violence in Kurram, which merged into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 2018 after being a semi-autonomous region.
Last month, clashes in Kurram resulted in the deaths of 16 people, including three women and two children. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan has reported that these clashes led to 79 deaths from July to October.
Pakistan: In Kurram, Shia and Sunni tribes have attacked and killed each other over land dispute, more than 46 dead so far. pic.twitter.com/tmArEiYEkg
— Megh Updates 🚨™ (@MeghUpdates) September 28, 2024Despite previous efforts, including a brokered seven-day truce last weekend, ceasefires have not been successful. A high-powered government delegation, led by Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif and including KP Chief Secretary Nadeem Aslam Chaudhry, IGP Akhtar Hayat Gandapur, and Law Minister Aftab Alam Afridi, announced a week-long ceasefire following discussions with tribal elders, but they did not implement it.
