At least 16 individuals, including three women and two children, were killed in a recent sectarian clash in northwest Pakistan, officials reported. The violence erupted in Kurram district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where Sunni and Shiite Muslim tribes have experienced intermittent conflicts for several months.
Kurram, previously a semi-autonomous region, has a troubled history marked by violent confrontations between Sunni and Shiite groups, resulting in hundreds of deaths over the years. The latest incident occurred on Saturday when a Sunni convoy, escorted by paramilitary forces, was attacked. A senior official from the Kurram administration, speaking anonymously to AFP, confirmed that 14 people died and six others were injured in the assault.
In the aftermath, Frontier police responded, killing two attackers identified as Shiites. This clash follows earlier incidents in July and September, which also resulted in multiple fatalities and concluded only after a jirga, or tribal council, intervened to declare a ceasefire.
Current efforts are being made to negotiate a new peace agreement. While tribal and family disputes are common in Pakistan, they can be particularly intense and violent in the remote regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where traditional tribal honor codes are upheld. The Shiite community, a minority in a predominantly Sunni Muslim country, has historically faced discrimination and violence, contributing to ongoing tensions in the area.
