PESHAWAR:
The Kurram deputy commissioner has announced the launch of an operation in four troubled areas of the district after miscreants attacked a convoy transporting goods to Parachinar and kidnapped several people, some of whom were later executed.
Deputy Commissioner Ashfaq Ahmed on Saturday issued a notification to set up camps in Thal and Hangu for people who will be displaced during the operation. According to the notification, the operations will be carried out in four areas of Lower Kurram: Bagan, Mandori, Chapri Parau and Chapri.
A letter has been sent to the provincial relief department for the establishment of temporary displaced persons (TDP) camps. These camps are being set up at Thal Degree College, Technical College, Rescue 1122 and the court building. They are intended to ensure the safety of residents during operation.
A committee has also been formed under the supervision of the additional deputy commissioner. According to the notification, arrangements are being made for 1,079 families and a total of 17,625 people in the camps.
Kurram has long been plagued by decades-long sectarian clashes, which have escalated into land disputes and claimed the lives of at least 140 people since November 2024. However, on January 1 the warring tribes signed an agreement under the auspices of a tribal jirga.
According to the peace agreement, local residents committed to hand over their weapons to the state in different phases within 15 days, while the dismantling of local bunkers must be completed by February 2025.
However, on January 4, a convoy of former Kurram Deputy Commissioner Javedullah Mehsud was attacked near Bagan area, resulting in injuries to the official and six members of his escort.
On January 13, the provincial government dismantled two bunkers out of hundreds established by the two warring factions. However, the fragile peace in Kurram was short-lived when unidentified gunmen launched a rocket attack on a convoy of 35 vehicles carrying fruits, vegetables, medicines and other essential items from Thall to Bagan area on Thursday.
The convoy was escorted by police, FC and other security personnel.
According to Kurram Additional Deputy Commissioner Shaukat Ali, one security personnel was martyred and four were injured in the attack. He said six terrorists were killed and 10 wounded in the retaliatory response. The attack was also confirmed by local police SHO Afzal Karim.
According to the police, six vehicles in the convoy were set on fire. “After the attack, 21 trucks left the area, while others were stranded,” a senior police official told AFP, requesting anonymity. “After the incident, heavy shooting occurred at two other locations.”
Sources claimed that trucks carrying relief goods, which had returned due to the fragile law and order situation, were looted by locals. Police said Bagan residents shared images of the looting on social media.
It was later reported that several people from the convoy were also kidnapped during the attack and the bodies of six of them were discovered in the Aravali area of Kurram, with their hands and feet tied.
Among the victims were five drivers from Parachinar and one Saqib Hussain. The unfortunate Saqib had returned to Pakistan from Dubai after ten years. Frustrated by three and a half months of road closures and long delays, Saqib decided to travel home by truck. However, the terrorists killed him.
Kurram continues to face severe shortages of food, medicine and other essential items due to ongoing fighting, and major roads leading to Parachinar remain closed.
A couple of days ago, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif claimed that the situation in Kurram was “returning to normal” as 25 vehicles of a second convoy carrying essential items had reached the district.
