The total number of people killed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Kurram district has reached 130, while 186 are injured as clashes between tribes continued for the eleventh day despite a ceasefire having been imposed in Lower Kurram, according to a local official.
Kurram has been a flashpoint for tribal tensions for decades. They spilled over into a fresh wave of attacks last month when clashes between two groups left dozens dead.
Speaking to Dawn.com, District Health Officer (DHO) Dr Qaisar Abbas said “The total number of people killed is 130, while 186 are injured.”
The DHO also added that there was a lack of medical facilities to treat the injured.
According to the police and hospital sources, the firing between the tribes in Kurram district continues for the eleventh day. Seven more people had lost their lives in clashes on Friday, according to officials.
With the cooperation of police forces and elders, most of the clashes have been stopped while the armed tribes have been removed from the fronts with police and armed forces being deployed there.
Separately District administration official Wajid Hussain told Reuters that 133 people had been killed in the attacks in the last week and a half.
“The district administration and other relevant authorities have initiated efforts to stop fighting between the two communities but there is no breakthrough yet,” he said.
Efforts are being made to stop the clashes between Muqbal Kunj Alizai in Kurram District on November 21 in the Ucht Mandori area of Lower Kurram.
Armed clashes started in the district last week when a convoy of passenger vehicles came under attack in Lower Kurram, killing more than 40 people.
Several people were seriously injured, after which a series of clashes started in the areas of Alizai Bagan, Balsh Khel Khar, Piwar Teri Mangal and Muqbal Kunj Alizai.
Social leader Mir Afzal Khan said that “after the firing incident on October 12th, Peshawar-Parachinar main highway was closed, and during 50 days, there was barely 10 days of traffic on the main highway.”
As a result, millions of residents of Parachinar have been trapped and the citizens are facing serious problems due to the lack of food, oil and medicines and businesses have closed down in the city.
On Tuesday, the warring sides in Kurram had agreed to extend the week-long tenuous ceasefire, ending on Nov 30, for another 10 days despite sporadic incidents of violence.
Following talks held by a jirga in the Alizai area, the Kurram deputy commissioner, Javedullah Mehsud, announced the ceasefire extension for another 10 days.
With additional input from Reuters.
