KURRAM: The death toll from the gun attack on passenger vans in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Lower Kurram has risen to 42, while more than 30 people were injured, the local deputy commissioner confirmed on Friday.
Kurram Deputy Commissioner (DC) Javedullah Mehsud confirmed the casualties, adding that among the deceased were seven women and a nine-year-old girl.
Thursday’s attack occurred in the Mandori Charkhel area, a region known for its history of sectarian tensions and land disputes.
DC Mehsud said that the convoy, consisting of around 200 vehicles, was on its way from Parachinar to Peshawar when it came under heavy gunfire. He also told AFP that two separate convoys of Shia passengers were targeted in two separate attacks.
Efforts were underway to treat the injured, and the bodies of the deceased were transported to Parachinar. “We will work to restore normalcy as quickly as possible, and a grand jirga will be convened in response to this incident,” DC Mehsud said, adding that schools and markets had been closed since the attack. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the incident.
A gun attack was also carried out on passenger vans in the Ochat area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Lower Kurram region on Thursday.
KP government spokesperson Barrister Dr. Saif said that police personnel were initially targeted, and then the passenger convoy came under fire from both sides. “The convoy was made up of about 200 vehicles,” he said.
Barrister Saif added that district administration officials, senior police officers, and officers were present at the scene. An investigation into the attack is ongoing.
DC Javedullah Mehsud told AFP that both attacks targeted two separate convoys of members of the Shia community in Kurram district. Each convoy was composed of around 40 vehicles and traveled under police escort.
