At least 45 people have been killed and over 100 wounded in Pakistan’s north-western Kurram district, where a seven-day-long siege imposed by armed groups, including some who have crossed over from neighboring Afghanistan, has led to intense clashes, according to news reports.
The conflict began as a land dispute between two tribes, the Shia Malikhel and Sunni Mangal of Madaki Kali in Boshehra village, but has since spiralled into widespread violence affecting the entire Kurram district. The fighting erupted last Wednesday when a gunman opened fire during a council meeting aimed at resolving a longstanding dispute over farmland, said local police official Murtaza Hussain.
The violence quickly spread to other villages, including Boshehra, Malikhel, Dandar, Pewar, Tari Mangal, Muqbal, Kunj Alizai, Nastikot, Para Chamkani, Karman, Khar Kalai, Sangina, and Balishkhel. Both sides have employed small and medium-range weapons, including rocket launchers, mortars, and small missiles.
Hospital sources in the Kurram Agency headquarters, Parachinar, reported receiving 31 dead bodies and around 150 injured by Sunday evening. However, the actual number of casualties is likely higher as reports from hospitals in Sadda remain unconfirmed.
The single road linking Parachinar with the rest of the country has been closed for nearly a week, resulting in severe shortages of essential items, medicines, fuel, and other commodities. A resident reported that the district hospital of Parachinar was overwhelmed with the injured, and the only health facility is running short of life-saving medicines.
The initial land dispute has escalated into sectarian violence, fueled by the involvement of extremist groups sympathetic to Tehreek-e-Taliban from neighbouring areas. The conflict, now in its fifth day, has claimed 45 lives, with the Shia tribe suffering the most, accounting for 30 of the fatalities.
A police source indicated that both sides are using automatic weapons and mortars, focusing the fighting around Parachinar, which has been blockaded by law enforcement. Efforts to resolve the conflict through a peace jirga (peace meeting) have failed, exacerbated by the interference of Pakistani-Afghan Takfiri armed groups. These groups have escalated the violence, abducting and beheading several Shia residents, including a child.
Parachinar is significant as it is home to many fighters who have returned after volunteering to defend holy shrines in Iraq and Syria from the Daesh onslaught. The area has long been a flashpoint for sectarian violence, further complicated by the region’s strategic location on the border with Afghanistan.
Many on social media have labeled the violence as a sectarian conflict, even calling it ‘genocide against the Shia community’. However, these claims lack confirmation, and it remains unclear which sect initiated the conflict .
A government official told the media that the Shia tribe has been the hardest hit in the ongoing conflict, with 30 of the casualties belonging to the minority sect.
