At least 18 dead in retaliatory sectarian attacks in Pakistan


  • World
  • Saturday, 23 Nov 2024

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - At least 18 people were killed and 30 injured in further sectarian violence in northwestern Pakistan, officials said on Saturday, as tensions remained high following attacks on transport convoys that killed dozens of civilians this week.

The latest killings in a tribal district began on Friday night, when armed men attacked a village in the district, said the chief secretary of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Nadeem Aslam Chaudhry.

"They set on fire petrol stations and damaged properties as part of revenge," he told Reuters by phone. He said he and top police officials would be visiting the area and engage tribal elders on both sides to restore order.

The toll since Thursday is 58 dead.

AFP reported on Saturday that 32 people were killed in the latest violence, citing an unnamed official.

On Thursday unidentified gunmen opened fire on passenger vehicles, killing over 40 in the Kurrram district, where armed Shia and Sunni Muslims have engaged in tribal and sectarian rivalry for decades over a land dispute near the Afghanistan border.

Most of the dead were Shiites, officials said, sparking retaliatory attacks by armed groups, with markets and schools remaining shut in a curfew-like situation.

A police official requesting anonymity told Reuters that the death toll from the fresh violence could have been higher had residents of the village that was attacked not already evacuated their homes in anticipation of more violence.

He said the residents of Bagan village, a mostly Sunni area, had already left their homes and shifted to safe places in Lower Kurram.

(Reporting by Mushtaq Ali in Peshawar, Pakistan; Additional reporting by Surbhi Misra in Bengaluru; Writing by Gibran Peshimam; Editing by Christopher Cushing and William Mallard)

Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates!

Next In World

Pakistan train hijack hostages end ordeal with arrival in Quetta
Duterte takes responsibility for Philippines drug war, anticipates long ICC battle
US Justice Department investigating New York migrant hotels, reports say
South Korea charges air force pilots with criminal negligence in accidental bombing of village
At US request, India arrests crypto administrator accused of money laundering
Russia lays out demands for talks with US on Ukraine, sources say
NASA, SpaceX delay flight that was to retrieve stuck astronauts
Int'l amber, jewelry fair showcases Baltic amber
Mark Carney to be sworn in as Canada's prime minister on Friday
U.S. stocks close mixed as weak CPI growth eases concerns

Others Also Read