At least 38 people were killed and 29 wounded when gunmen opened fire on passenger vehicles in the Kurram tribal district of northwestern Pakistan on Thursday.
The attack targeted two convoys of passenger vehicles traveling between Peshawar and Parachinar, according to Nadeem Aslam Chaudhry, the chief secretary of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, as reported by the Reuters. Among the dead were a woman and a child. Chaudhry described the attack as a “major tragedy” and warned that the death toll could rise.
The area has long been a hotspot for sectarian tensions between Shia and Sunni Muslims, primarily stemming from a longstanding land dispute. The attackers have not been identified, and no group has claimed responsibility for the assault.
One local resident, Ziarat Hussain, reportedly confirmed that his relatives were among those traveling in the convoy from Peshawar to Parachinar.
President Asif Ali Zardari condemned the attack, expressing his strong disapproval of the violence targeting civilians.
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