Kurram violence: Death toll rises to 6 in rocket attack on aid convoy in northwest Pakistan

Peshawar, Jan 17 (PTI): The death toll from a rocket attack on an aid convoy in Pakistan’s sectarian violence-hit Kurram district has risen to six, officials said on Friday.

The attack took place on Thursday after a convoy of 35 vehicles carrying food and medical supplies to Kurram was hit with rockets and automatic weapons.

After the attack, the assailants also burnt some of the vehicles carrying the relief material from Thall to Parachinar in the Bagan Bazar area of the district. Kurram lies in the country’s restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

According to initial reports by officials, a Pakistani soldier died in the attack and six attackers were killed in retaliatory action.

However, official sources said on Friday that another security personnel was killed in the attack, taking the death toll of law enforcement officials to two.

The bodies of four truck drivers who went missing during the firing on the convoy have also been recovered, according to officials, who added that the drivers were tortured before being killed. Their bodies were found in the Erwali area of Lower Kurram.

According to hospital authorities, the bodies have been shifted to the Ali Zai Hospital. A senior security official from Peshawar said four vehicles were damaged in the attack, while the rest of the convoy was safely evacuated and reached a point of safety after crossing Chapri.

A curfew has been enforced in the tribal district, with security forces taking positions and patrolling the area. Meanwhile, terrorist attacks in Lower Kurram’s Bagan, Char Khel, Mandori, and Ochut areas have been on the rise, presenting a grave challenge for the government.

Khyber Pukthunkhwa’s provincial government has decided in principle to launch an operation to maintain public order in the district, where unrest has prevailed since November last year after an attack on a passenger van convoy.

Kurram’s Deputy Commissioner issued a notification for the establishment of TDP (Temporarily Displaced Persons) camps in Thall and Hangu for people who can be affected during possible counterterrorism operations.

According to the notification, camps will be set up at Thall Degree College, Technical College, the Rescue building, and the court premises.

The district administration stated that the camps are being established to ensure the population’s safety during the operation. A committee has been formed under the supervision of the Additional Deputy Commissioner.

Sectarian clashes between Shia and Sunni tribes have claimed at least 130 lives since November last year, with food and medicine shortages reported due to weeks-long road blockades in the region. A peace agreement was reached on January 1, but the route connecting Parachinar remained blocked. PTI AYZ GRS GRS GRS

(This story is published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. No editing has been done in the headline or the body by ABP Live.)