PESHAWAR: Gunmen opened fire on a vehicle in Pakistan’s volatile northwestern border region on Wednesday, killing six civilians according to local authorities.
The attack occurred in Kurram district along the Afghanistan border, where sectarian violence has recently flared between Sunni and Shia communities.
Local administrative official Amir Nawaz Khan confirmed that armed men targeted a vehicle belonging to a member of the Sunni community from Para Chamkani.
Another official in Kurram, speaking anonymously, verified the attack occurred in a Shia-majority area.
Kurram has experienced decades of violence between Sunni and Shia communities, with approximately 250 people killed in renewed fighting since July.
Pakistan remains a Sunni-majority nation while Shia Muslims constitute between 10 and 15% of the population.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan demanded an immediate and impartial inquiry while describing the Kurram situation as a humanitarian crisis.
Local government and tribal leaders in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province have repeatedly attempted truces between warring communities without success.
Violence regularly reignites over land disputes, continuing a pattern seen in February when an ambush on a food supply convoy killed six people. – AFP
