January-September attacks and convoy blockades highlight persistent volatility in Kurram
Security forces killed 23 militants in two intelligence-based operations in Kurram district, the army said on Thursday. According to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the operations were carried out on November 19 following reports of the presence of militants described as belonging to the Indian-sponsored group “Fitna Al Khwarij”.
ISPR said the first clash took place after troops started moving in a remote part of the district. The statement indicates that an intense exchange of fire took place and that twelve militants were killed. A second intelligence tip led to another operation in the same broader area where eleven more militants were “neutralized,” the military said. He added that the sanitation efforts were continuing under the broader anti-terror campaign Azm-e-Istehkam, which was approved by the Federal Apex Committee on National Action Plan.
The latest action comes after a series of violent incidents in Kurram this year. In January, two separate attacks targeted supply convoys on the Thall-Parachinar route, one of which left eight people dead. The disruption to essential traffic prompted authorities to facilitate a 225-vehicle relief convoy that arrived in Parachinar in March after days of blocked access.
In June, four people were killed and four others injured when an improvised explosive device exploded along a road near Parachinar. A militant attack in September forced the temporary closure of the same key highway, highlighting continued security volatility in the district.
Kurram lies in a narrow valley framed by the Safed Koh mountains and connected through a network of passes that are vulnerable to weather and conflict-related closures. Parachinar serves as the district headquarters and is located near the Afghan border, giving the area strategic weight but also exposing it to regional spillovers.
The district’s population includes Shia Turi communities in Upper Kurram and Sunni Pashtun tribes such as the Bangash in central and Lower Kurram. Local disputes over land, access roads and security have been simmering for decades and intensified during the early phases of militancy. Although the 2018 merger of the former tribal region into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa brought administrative changes, recurring attacks on convoys and market routes show that many underlying tensions remain unresolved.
