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

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

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

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

Speaking to AFP news agency connected information of anonymity, a elder administrative charismatic said nan decease toll successful nan latest incident included 14 Sunni and 18 Shia Muslims. Another 47 were wounded, nan charismatic added.

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

The officer, who besides said anonymously because he was not authorised to speak to nan media, said equipped men successful Bagan and Bacha Kot torched shops, houses and authorities property.

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

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

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

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

“Officials are describing this arsenic a very tense situation,” he added.

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

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

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

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

“After firing, they group nan full marketplace ablaze and entered adjacent homes, pouring petrol and mounting them connected fire. Initial reports propose complete 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 nan attackers”.

Javedullah Mehsud, a elder charismatic successful Kurram, told nan AP location were “efforts to reconstruct bid … [through] nan deployment of information forces” and pinch nan thief of “local elders”.

Shia Muslims dress up astir 15 percent of nan 240 cardinal group successful Sunni-majority Pakistan, which has a history of sectarian animosity betwixt nan communities.

Although nan 2 groups mostly unrecorded together peacefully, tensions remain, particularly successful Kurram.

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Al Jazeera and news agencies