Clashes in Kurram claim three more lives
KURRAM: The death toll from a week of violence in Kurram surged to 76 as sporadic clashes continued on Tuesday, officials told Dawn.
Three more people have been killed in reprisal attacks, which have been ongoing since last Thursday when around 40 passengers travelling in a convoy of vehicles were killed in a deadly ambush in the Mandori Charkhel area of Lower Kurram district.
Two days after the attack, 21 people were killed in arson and gunfights in Bagan village of Lower Kurram.
Clashes have continued since then, despite a tenuous ceasefire brokered by the authorities between the warring parties on Sunday.
According to officials, sporadic fighting continued on Tuesday in the Ghozaghari, Matasanagar and Kunj Alizai areas.
The fighting left three people dead, while six were injured.
Officials also told Dawn that three gunship helicopters were targeted by the miscreants entrenched in Chardeval and Jalmay villages in the Alizai area of Lower Kurram. However, no casualties have been reported so far.
Kurram Deputy Commissioner Javedullah Mehsud told Dawn that a grand jirga, comprising elders from Hangu,
Orakzai and Kohat districts, will visit the violence-hit district for fresh mediation to end hostilities.
The Kohat division commissioner will lead the jirga.
The closure of roads leading to Parachinar has resulted in a shortage of medicines, Dr Mir Hassan Khan, the medical superintendent of the district headquarters hospital, told Dawn.
He said it was becoming difficult for doctors to treat injured people due to the shortage of medicines, and “people are losing their lives”.
Mahmood Khan, an elder of the Hamzakhel village, criticised the provincial government for the uptick in violence and said all top officials left for Islamabad soon after brokering the ceasefire on Sunday.
Published in Dawn, November 27th, 2024