PESHAWAR: A soldier was martyred and four others were injured when a convoy of vehicles carrying food and medical supplies to Parachinar came under attack by miscreants at Bagan area of restive Lower Kurram on Thursday, the security officials confirmed.
Hangu Assistant Commissioner (AC) Saeed Mannan informed the media that a convoy comprising 35 vehicles had left from Thall and was on its way to Parachinar when it came under fire.
“The administration is working to bring the situation under control after the attack in Bagan,” AC Mannan said.
Meanwhile, Additional Deputy Commissioner Shaukat Ali said: “One soldier of the was martyred and four were injured in the attack. Three vehicles in the convoy were damaged.
“Action was also taken against the terrorists of the attack. Six terrorists were killed and 10 were injured in the retaliatory action.”
Sajid Turi, a former federal minister from Kurram, said small and large weapons were used in the attack.
Senior police official Sahaib Gul confirmed to AFP that following the attack, 21 trucks retreated from the area while others remained stranded.
Additionally, intense gunfire erupted at two other locations after the incident and it is still ongoing, Gul said, adding that some trucks had “caught fire” as a result of the ambush.
Kurram Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Ashfaq Khan told AFP that “firing is ongoing” outside Thall.
A day ago, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that the situation in Kurram was “returning to normal” as 25 vehicles of a second convoy carrying essentials reached the district.
On Monday, Adviser to the KP Chief Minister on Information Barrister Mohammad Ali Saif said the demolition of bunkers had begun in Kurram district under the peace agreement.
Clashes over decades-old land disputes have claimed at least 130 lives since November, with food and medicine shortages reported due to weeks-long road blockades. A peace agreement was signed on January 1, but the route connecting Parachinar remained blocked. On January 4, a government convoy was attacked near Bagan, injuring Kurram’s deputy commissioner and leaving the convoy stranded.
Eight illegal bunkers in Kurram destroyed under peace deal
On the other hand, so far eight illegal bunkers in Kurram have been razed to the ground as their demolition continues under the peace deal that had reached between the warring factions.
Bunkers have been demolished in Balishkhel and Khar Kali areas.
On the other hand, locals have said that the closure of roads has resulted in a shortage of food items due to which their prices have gone through the roof.
The local administration has said that as soon as roads are cleared, a large consignment of food items will be dispatched to Kurram.
It has further said that the process to raise a special protection force has begun so that the road connecting Thall to Parachinar could be made secure.
The administration has informed that recruitment for the purpose will be completed at the end of January.
