Two killed in fresh Kurram clashes

PARACHINAR: Two people were killed and several sustained injuries when members of two tribes traded fire in the Para Chamkani area in Kurram tribal district, sources said on Monday.

The sources said that though the district administration and the security forces managed to stop the firing, tensions ran high in the district. The district administration and the police said that Khumsa and Baghki tribesmen exchanged fire over the construction of bunkers, which left two people dead and two injured.

Earlier, unidentified people smashed the windscreen of a passenger van by pelting stones at the vehicle at the Arwali area in the lower parts of Kurram, which was on its way from Parachinar to Peshawar.

It may be recalled that around 50 people were killed and over 190 injured in clashes last month over a land dispute in the Kurram tribal district. The fighting had initially started at the Boshera area near Parachinar, which later spread to other areas.

The clashes came to an end after the district administration along with the local elders made hectic efforts to broker a ceasefire. Meanwhile, the body of one Masood, who had gone missing last week, was found dumped in a mountainous area in central Kurram.

Also, two sheep were killed and a cow was injured in a landmine blast near the Pak-Afghan border in Kurram. The Kurram tribal district has of late witnessed an uptick in incidents of targeted killings and kidnappings for ransom.