At least 38 people were killed, and 29 others injured when gunmen opened fire on two passenger vehicle convoys in the tribal region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in northwestern Pakistan. The attack occurred in the Kurram district, with the vehicles traveling between Parachinar and Peshawar, a route commonly used for travel in the area.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Chief Secretary, Nadeem Aslam Chaudhry, confirmed the deadly attack, which resulted in the tragic loss of life, including a woman and a child. The death toll is expected to rise as authorities continue to assess the damage. According to local sources, the gunmen ambushed the convoy of passenger vans, with one group traveling from Peshawar to Parachinar and the other heading in the opposite direction.
Ziarat Hussain, a local resident from Parachinar, described the scene, explaining that his relatives were among the passengers in the targeted convoy. “The armed men opened fire on the vehicles without warning,” Hussain said during a phone interview with Reuters. The attackers have yet to claim responsibility for the deadly assault.
The attack has drawn widespread condemnation, including from Pakistan’s President, Asif Ali Zardari, who labeled the assault on innocent passengers as a “cowardly and inhumane act.” Similarly, Pakistan Peoples Party chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari expressed outrage over the violence, calling for swift justice for those responsible. He emphasized the government’s duty to protect civilian lives and maintain law and order.
The region where the attack occurred has long been marred by tensions between armed Shia and Sunni Muslim factions over territorial disputes. These sectarian tensions have often led to violence in the area, which borders Afghanistan. In a similar incident in August, 23 people were killed when gunmen halted several buses and vans in Balochistan province, singling out individuals based on their ethnicity before executing them.
Local authorities are continuing their investigations into the attack, with security forces working to bring the perpetrators to justice. The attack underscores the ongoing challenges facing Pakistan in maintaining security and addressing sectarian violence in its tribal regions.
Sources By Agencies
