Five Shias injured in attack on passenger vehicle in Lower Kurram

Vehicle was ambushed by militants near Chapari area. Three of the injured are deemed to be in critical condition.

HANGU: At least five members of the Shia community were injured when unidentified suspected militants opened ambushed the passenger vehicle they were traveling in near Chapri check post in Lower Kurram Agency, on Wednesday Political administration officials confirmed.

The passenger van was en route to Peshawar from Parachinar, the headquarters of Upper Kurram Agency. When it reached the mountainous Chapri area, unidentified militants ambushed it. As a result of their firing, five passengers out of the 14 on board, were injured. The injured belonged to the Shia community, officials confirmed.

The injured were rushed to the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) Thal, where medics described the condition of three of them as critical.

President of Parachinar Reforms Committee Attaullah said that both Shia and Sunni community had signed a peace deal, vowing they will not target each other and will maintain peace in the region, "it’s not Sunnis’, someone else is behind this attack," he told The Express Tribune.

Malik Saleem a tribal elder of Tehsil Sadda Lower Kurram Agency maintained that the attack was probably the work of anti-peace elements in the region who wanted to sabotage the Shia- Sunni peace deal. “Government should take responsibility of providing security to these vehicles,” he demanded, adding that if government wished, they could curb the extremist elements.

Last month Saleem’s house was attacked by unidentified assailants in which five people, including three women of his family were injured.