Attack breaks fragile calm, kurram
DERA ISMAIL KHAN:
A brief lull in violence in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s restive Kurram district was shattered on Thursday when unidentified gunmen launched a rocket attack on a convoy carrying relief supplies to Parachinar in the Bagan area, martyring one security personnel and injuring four others, according to the police.
In a coordinated response, security forces carried out a retaliatory operation, killing six terrorists and injuring 10 others, the police added.
The district administration stated that helicopter shelling was carried out against the terrorists.
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.
In December, the provincial government formed a grand jirga (council of elders) to broker ceasefire in the region. Following this progress, a peace agreement was signed between the warring sides on January 1.
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 deputy commissioner Javedullah Mehsud came under attack near the Bagan area, resulting in injuries to the official and five members of his escort.
On Monday, the provincial government had 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 had been killed while 10 were injured in the retaliatory response.
Kurram Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Ashfaq Khan said it was the third convoy that tried to reach the region by road since the latest ceasefire.
The attack was also confirmed by local police SHO Afzal Karim.
According to the police, six vehicles in the convoy were torched and that firing continued in the area.
“Following the attack, 21 trucks retreated from the area, while others remain stranded,” a senior police official told AFP on condition of anonymity. “Intense gunfire erupted at two other locations after the incident.”
Meanwhile, sources stated that trucks carrying relief goods, which had returned due to the fragile law and order situation, were looted by locals.
Police added that residents of Bagan shared footage of looting on social media.
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 day ago, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that the situation in Kurram was “returning to normal” as 25 vehicles of a second convoy carrying essentials reached the district.