Kurram clashes death toll hits 15

Gun battles continue for fourth consecutive day; fighting spreads in region

DI KHAN:

The death toll from the deadly clashes in the Kurram tribal district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa rose to 15 as gun battles continued in the area for a fourth consecutive day on Saturday. A staggering 70 people were also left injured as a result of the fighting.

Local residents told The
Express Tribune that both the sides were armed with medium to heavy military grade weapons and openly used them.

According to the police and district administration, the fighting erupted four days ago over a land dispute in Boshehra and Malakhel in Kurram. The armed clashes spread to other areas like Pewar, Tangi, Balishkhel, Kharkale, Maqbal, Kunj Alizai, and Para Chamkani Karman where intense clashes continued. The main highway has been closed for traffic due to the tense situation, causing difficulties for the general public.

The main towns of the district like Parachinar and Sadda Bazaar are also being targeted with long range rockets, causing widespread panic. A peace Jirga from Hangu and Orakzai arrived in the area to negotiate with the elders of both parties for a ceasefire, but these efforts failed. On the other hand, the police and district administration lacked the resources to tackle the warring factions on their own.

On Friday, it was reported that a land dispute between Shia and Sunni tribes of the Kurram tribal district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa had claimed as many as 10 lives. That number rose to 15 by Saturday.

Initial skirmishes were reported between the Boshera and Mali Khel tribes. However, these altercations turned violent and deadly when both sides resorted to using their heavy weaponry, said official sources. Authorities were afraid that the number of casualties could increase and their fears were realised on Saturday as the fighting continued.

K-P Chief Minister Sardar Ali Amin Gandapur took notice of the clashes and ordered the district administration, as well as local police, to ensure a peace agreement is reached between both sides. He also ordered the local jirga to ensure a peace accord amongst the warring tribespeople.