PESHAWAR:
Kurram Deputy Commissioner announced launch of operation in four troubled areas of the district after miscreants attacked a convoy carrying goods in Parachinar and abducted a number of people, some of whom were later killed in a execution.
Deputy Commissioner Ashfaq Ahmed on Saturday issued a notification to establish camps in Thal and Hangu for the people who will be displaced during the operation. According to the notification, the operations will be carried out in four areas of Lower Kurram: Bagan, Mandori, Chapri Parau and Chapri.
A letter has been sent to the provincial relief department for the establishment of Temporarily Displaced Persons (TDP) camps. These camps are set up at Thal Degree College, Technical College, Rescue 1122 and Court. They aim to ensure the safety of residents during the operation.
A committee was also formed under the supervision of the additional deputy commissioner. According to the notification, arrangements are being made in the camps to accommodate 1,079 families and a total of 17,625 individuals.
Kurram has long been hit by decades-old sectarian clashes, which escalated into land disputes and claimed at least 140 lives since November 2024. However, on January 1, members of the warring tribes signed an agreement under the auspices of a tribal jirga.
As part of the peace deal, local residents pledged to hand over their weapons to the state in different phases within 15 days, while the dismantling of local bunkers must be completed by February 2025.
However, on January 4, a convoy of former Kurram Deputy Commissioner Javedullah Mehsud was attacked near the Bagan area, injuring the official and six members of his escort.
On January 13, the provincial government dismantled two of the hundreds of bunkers established by the two warring factions. However, the fragile peace in Kurram was short-lived as unidentified gunmen on Thursday launched a rocket attack on a convoy of 35 vehicles carrying fruits, vegetables, medicines and other essential items from Thall to the Bagan region.
The convoy was escorted by police, CF and other security personnel.
According to Kurram Additional Deputy Commissioner Shaukat Ali, one security personnel was killed and four others were injured in the attack. He said six terrorists were killed and ten others were injured in the retaliation. The attack was also confirmed by local police SHO Afzal Karim.
According to police, six vehicles in the convoy were set on fire. “Following the attack, 21 trucks withdrew from the area, while others remained stuck,” a senior police official told AFP on condition of anonymity. “Intense gunfire broke out at two other locations after the incident.”
Sources said trucks carrying relief supplies, which had returned due to the fragile law and order situation, were looted by locals. Police said Bagan residents shared images of looting on social media.
It was later reported that a number of people from the convoy were also abducted during the attack and the bodies of six of them were found in the Aravali area of Kurram, their hands and feet bound.
The victims included five drivers from Parachinar and one Saqib Hussain. The unfortunate Saqib had returned to Pakistan from Dubai after ten years. Frustrated by three and a half months of road closures and long delays, Saqib decided to return home in a truck. However, the terrorists killed him.
Kurram continues to face a severe shortage of food, medicines and other essentials due to the ongoing clashes, with main roads leading to Parachinar remaining closed.
A few days ago, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had claimed that the situation in Kurram was “returning to normal” as 25 vehicles of a second convoy carrying essential commodities had arrived in the district.