Dozens killed as sectarian violence flares up in Pakistan’s Kurram

Renewed warring betwixt Sunni and Shia Muslim groups latest successful a drawstring of attacks to deed parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

At slightest 32 radical person been killed and dozens wounded successful renewed warring betwixt Sunni and Shia Muslim groups successful northwestern Pakistan, officials say.

The unit overnight connected Saturday was the latest to stone Kurram, a territory successful Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, conscionable days aft a deadly attack connected a convoy successful the aforesaid country killed dozens of people.

Speaking to AFP quality bureau connected information of anonymity, a elder administrative authoritative said the decease toll successful the latest incidental included 14 Sunni and 18 Shia Muslims. Another 47 were wounded, the authoritative added.

A elder Pakistani constabulary serviceman besides confirmed Saturday’s warring to The Associated Press quality agency, putting the decease toll astatine 33 and the injuries astatine 25.

The officer, who besides spoke anonymously due to the fact that helium was not authorised to talk to the media, said equipped men successful Bagan and Bacha Kot torched shops, houses and authorities property.

Intense gunfire was continuing betwixt the Alizai and Bagan tribes successful the Lower Kurram area.

“Educational institutions successful Kurram are closed owed to the terrible tension. Both sides are targeting each different with dense and automatic weapons,” the serviceman said.

Videos arsenic good arsenic images posted connected societal media showed a marketplace engulfed by occurrence and orangish flames piercing the nighttime sky. Gunfire tin besides beryllium heard.

Al Jazeera’s Kamal Hyder, reporting from Islamabad, said a curfew has been imposed successful the country and mobile services person been suspended.

“Officials are describing this arsenic a precise tense situation,” helium added.

“The radical connected the different manus are complaining that the authorities and the authorities person failed to supply information to the citizens,” Hyder said, adding that protests are spreading “because of the inability of authorities to rein successful the situation, which is spinning retired of control”.

Escalating unit betwixt Sunni and Shia Muslims successful the mountainous Khyber Pakhtunkhwa state bordering Afghanistan has killed astir 150 radical successful caller months.

On Thursday, gunmen opened occurrence connected 2 abstracted convoys of Shia Muslims travelling with constabulary escorts successful Kurram, sidesplitting much than 40. At slightest 11 others were wounded.

A radical of Shia Muslims past connected Friday evening launched an onslaught targeting Sunni locations, including the Bagan bazaar, successful the Kurram district, erstwhile a semi-autonomous region, wherever sectarian unit has resulted successful the deaths of hundreds implicit the years.

“After firing, they acceptable the full marketplace ablaze and entered adjacent homes, pouring petrol and mounting them connected fire. Initial reports suggest implicit 300 shops and much than 100 houses person been burned,” a elder constabulary serviceman stationed successful Kurram told AFP.

He said section Sunni “also fired backmost astatine the attackers”.

Javedullah Mehsud, a elder authoritative successful Kurram, told the AP determination were “efforts to reconstruct bid … [through] the deployment of information forces” and with the assistance of “local elders”.

Shia Muslims marque up astir 15 percent of the 240 cardinal radical successful Sunni-majority Pakistan, which has a past of sectarian animosity betwixt the communities.

Although the 2 groups mostly unrecorded unneurotic peacefully, tensions remain, particularly successful Kurram.

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Al Jazeera and quality agencies