Pakistan: Three more deaths in Kurram clashes take toll to 76

KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA: Three more people were killed in the Kurram district of Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, taking the death toll from the week-long sporadic violence to 76, Dawn reported.
The latest fatalities occurred in retaliation attacks that followed a deadly ambush on Thursday, in which around 40 passengers travelling in a convoy were killed in the Mandori Charkhel area of Lower Kurram district.
Just two days after the ambush, another 21 people were killed in arson and gunfights in Bagan village, also in Lower Kurram.
Despite a ceasefire brokered by authorities on Sunday, sporadic fighting has persisted. Officials reported that clashes resumed on Tuesday in areas like Ghozaghari, Matasanagar, and Kunj Alizai, resulting in three more deaths and six injuries.
Dawn reported, citing officials, that three gunship helicopters were targeted by the miscreants entrenched in Chardeval and Jalmay villages in the Alizai area of Lower Kurram. But, no casualties have been reported so far.
The local authorities are trying to mediate the escalating conflict. Kurram Deputy Commissioner Javedullah Mehsud revealed that a grand jirga, comprising elders from Hangu, Orakzai, and Kohat districts, will be dispatched to the violence-hit district to help end the hostilities. The jirga will be led by the Kohat division commissioner.
Meanwhile, the ongoing violence has also led to a critical shortage of medicines in the region. Mir Hassan Khan, the medical superintendent at the district headquarters hospital, said that the closure of roads leading to Parachinar has severely impacted medical supply chains, as reported by Dawn.
“It is becoming difficult for doctors to treat injured people due to the shortage of medicines, and people are losing their lives,” he said.
Local elder Mahmood Khan, from the Hamzakhel village, also expressed frustration at the provincial government, accusing top officials of abandoning the district after brokering the ceasefire on Sunday. He criticised the government’s failure to adequately address the escalating violence, Dawn reported.
As authorities attempt to restore peace, tensions remain high as both sides continue to clash, with the civilian population caught in the crossfire.