At least 50 people, including women and children, were killed on Thursday when unidentified gunmen ambushed a convoy of 200 passenger vehicles travelling through a remote area of northwest Pakistan. Authorities reported that 20 others sustained injuries in the attack.
The attack took place in the Kurram district of the volatile Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, near the Afghan border. The convoy was en route from Parachinar to Peshawar, the provincial capital, when the gunmen opened fire.
According to reports, most of the passengers in the convoy were Shia Muslims. "Thursday's attack targeted two separate convoys of Shiite Muslims travelling in Kurram," Javed Ullah Mehsud, a senior administrative official, told news agency AFP.
"Initial reports confirm that the victims include six women, several children, and police officers," Mehsud added.
Security forces had been assigned to protect the convoy following a recent surge in sectarian violence in the area, which has already claimed dozens of lives this year. Nadeem Aslam Chaudhry, Chief Secretary of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, described the incident as "a major tragedy" in a statement to Reuters, warning that the death toll could rise further.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack, calling it "an act of sheer brutality" and stating, "The enemies of peace have targeted a convoy of innocent citizens." President Asif Ali Zardari also issued a statement strongly condemning the violence.
The region has long been a flashpoint for sectarian tensions between armed Shia and Sunni groups, fuelled in part by an unresolved land dispute.
In September, more than 50 people were killed, and 120 others were injured during clashes that spanned eight days between the two communities over a disputed piece of land in Kurram district.
The intensity of the fighting led to the closure of the Parachinar-Peshawar main road and the Pak-Afghan Kharlachi border, severely disrupting transportation and movement. This road blockade resulted in shortages of essential items, including food, fuel, and medicines, further exacerbating the plight of residents. Similar clashes in the region in July left dozens dead and more than 225 injured.
