Pakistan: Dozens killed in attack on passenger cars in Kurram

Nadeem Aslam Chaudhry, the chief secretary of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, told Reuters that the attack on Thursday was “a great tragedy” with the death toll “likely to rise”. At least 11 people were injured, he said.

Details about what exactly happened are still emerging, but Javed ullah Mehsud, a senior government official, told AFP that “about ten attackers” were involved, who “fired indiscriminately from both sides of the road”.

Women and children had hidden in nearby houses as police hunted for the attackers, he added.

Most of the passengers traveling in the convoy through the mountainous region were Shiites, he said in an earlier statement.

Sunni and Shia Muslim tribes have clashed repeatedly this year. According to Reuters news agency, an earlier series of attacks ended after a tribal council called for a ceasefire.

Last month, another attack on passenger vehicles took place along a road in the region, killing 15 people.

Sectarian violence is often linked to land conflicts in the region.

However, Kurram, in northwestern Pakistan, also borders several Afghan provinces that are home to anti-Shia militant groups, including the Islamic State group and the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).