TDP camps set up in Kurram ahead of op

PESHAWAR:

The deputy commissioner of Kurram has announced launching an operation in four troubled areas of the district after miscreants attacked a convoy transporting goods to Parachinar and abducted a number of people, some of which were later killed execution style.

Deputy Commissioner Ashfaq Ahmed issued a notification on Saturday to establish camps in Thal and Hangu for the people who are going to be displaced during the operation. According to the notification, operations will be conducted in four areas of Lower Kurram: Bagan, Mandori, Chapri Parau, and Chapri.

A letter has been sent to the provincial relief department for the establishment of temporarily displaced peoples (TDP) camps. These camps are being set up at Thal Degree College, Technical College, Rescue 1122, and the court building. They are meant to ensure the safety of residents during the operation.

A committee has also been formed under the supervision of the additional deputy commissioner. According to the notification, arrangements are being made in the camps for 1,079 families and a total of 17,625 individuals.

Kurram has long been hit by decades-old sectarian clashes, which have escalated into land disputes and claimed the lives of at least 140 people since November 2024. However, on January 1 the warring tribesmen signed a deal under the auspices of a tribal jirga.

Under the peace agreement, local residents pledged to surrender their weapons to the state in different phases within 15 days while the dismantling of local bunkers is to be completed by February 2025.

However, on January 4, a convoy of former Kurram deputy commissioner Javedullah Mehsud came under attack near the Bagan area, resulting in injuries to the official and six members of his escort.

On January 13, the provincial government dismantled two bunkers out of hundreds established by the two warring factions. However, the fragile peace in Kurram was short-lived as unidentified gunmen on Thursday launched a rocket attack on a convoy of 35 vehicles carrying fruits, vegetables, medicines, and other essential items from Thall to the Bagan area.

The convoy was escorted by police, FC, and other security personnel.

According to Kurram Additional Deputy Commissioner Shaukat Ali, one security personnel was martyred while four sustained injuries in the attack. He said six terrorists were killed while 10 got injured in the retaliatory response. The attack was also confirmed by local police SHO Afzal Karim.

According to the police, six vehicles in the convoy were torched. “Following the attack, 21 trucks retreated from the area, while others remained stranded,” a senior police official told AFP on condition of anonymity. “Intense gunfire erupted at two other locations after the incident.”

Sources stated that trucks carrying relief goods, which had returned due to the fragile law and order situation, were looted by locals. Police said residents of Bagan shared footage of looting on social media.

It was later reported that a number of people in the convoy were also abducted during the attack and dead bodies of six of them were discovered in the Aravali area of Kurram with hands and feet bound.

The victims included five drivers from Parachinar and a Saqib Hussain. The unfortunate Saqib had returned to Pakistan from Dubai after ten years. Frustrated by three and a half months of road closures and long delays, Saqib had decided to travel home on a truck. However, terrorists killed him.

Kurram continues to face a severe shortage of food supplies, medicines, and other essentials due to ongoing clashes, with the main roads leading to Parachinar remaining closed.

A couple of days ago, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had claimed that the situation in Kurram was “returning to normal” as 25 vehicles of a second convoy carrying essentials had reached the district.