KURRAM: Fierce clashes between rival tribes left five more people dead, raising the death toll from three days of fighting to 10 as 25 others were injured in the Kurram district on Monday.

Local residents said that the rival groups used heavy weapons to target each other’s positions.

According to the police and hospital sources, the clashes erupted after Boshehra tribesmen of Upper Kurram were setting up bunkers on the lands of the Ahmadzai tribe. Later, the clashes spread to other areas. So far, 10 people have been killed and 25 others injured in the clashes, they added.

They said that the five people were killed in clashes in Baleshkhel, Sadda, Khar Kallay and other areas, while at least 10 others were injured on Monday.

All roads in the region, including the main Parachinar Road, remained closed to traffic due to the fresh clashes.

Meanwhile, Majlis-i-Wahdat-i-Muslimeen’s MNA Hamid Hussain warned that they would launch a protest movement if the authorities failed to restore peace in the area.

He threatened this while speaking to the people who staged a sit-in outside the Parachinar Press Club to demand immediate steps for the restoration of peace in Kurram district.

Meanwhile, Kurram deputy commissioner Javedullah Mehsud said that the administration had initiated talks between the warring tribes through a jirga to resolve the dispute. He said that the jirga members and tribal elders had also been sent to the troubled areas to prevent further clashes.

Published in Dawn, September 24th, 2024