Pakistan Terror Attack: Terrorists have carried out a major attack on a convoy of vehicles in the Kurram area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, in which 44 people have died, Over 50 Injured. It is being told that two passenger vans going in the convoy from Parachinar in Kurram have been targeted. Officials have ordered an investigation into the incident. At present, the injured have been sent to various hospitals in the district for treatment.
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The terrorists ambushed the vehicles in Kurram district of the province bordering Afghanistan. Officials said that these vehicles were coming from Parachinar towards Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, when the gunmen started firing on them.
Indiscriminate firing from both sides of the road
Officials said the incidents were linked to communal violence that has claimed dozens of lives in recent months. Both incidents involved about 10 attackers who were firing indiscriminately from both sides of the road.
Senior official Javed Ullah Mehsud told AFP that two separate convoys of Shia pilgrims were targeted by militants in Kurram district. Fighting between Sunni and Shia Muslims is continuing in Kurram in the mountainous northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan orders probe
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur strongly condemned the attack and directed a delegation comprising the province’s law minister, MPs from the region and the chief secretary to immediately visit Kurram to assess the situation and submit a report.
In October, at least 16 people, including three women and two children, were killed in a communal clash in the district.
Alizai, medical superintendent of THQ Hospital, said the injured were being referred to various hospitals in the district and some to Peshawar for treatment. The condition of many people is said to be critical. According to Pakistan’s news agency Dawn, KP Chief Secretary Nadeem Aslam Chaudhry told Reuters that the death toll is likely to rise.
‘The attack was a cowardly and inhuman act’
According to media reports, President Asif Ali Zardari has strongly condemned the incident. In a post on Twitter, he wrote, “Attacking innocent passengers is a cowardly and inhuman act. Those responsible for the incident should be punished. The injured should be provided timely medical aid.
Earlier, in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, a suicide bomber rammed a vehicle loaded with explosives into a joint check post, killing 12 security personnel. Giving this information on Wednesday, the army said that six terrorists were killed in the encounter that followed.
President Asif Ali Zardari condemned the attack
Earlier, Medical Superintendent of Tehsil Headquarters (THQ) Hospital Alizai Dr Muhammad Ishaq said 44 people were killed and 50 injured. The injured were being shifted to different hospitals in the district and some were being sent to Peshawar. KP Chief Secretary Nadeem Aslam Chaudhry told Reuters that “the death toll is likely to rise.” President Asif Ali Zardari strongly condemned the incident and offered his condolences to the bereaved families of the deceased.
Why are these attacks happening?
The incident comes amid a spurt in the number of terror attacks in Balochistan and KP. The attacks increased after the banned militant Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan outfit vowed to break a fragile ceasefire agreement with the government in 2022 and target security forces. Last month, two militants were killed during an intelligence-based operation in KP’s North Waziristan district. Twelve security personnel were martyred after a checkpost was targeted in Mali Khel area of Bannu in KP, the army’s media affairs wing said a day earlier.
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