At least 38 people were killed on Thursday after assailants opened fire on passenger vehicles in Uchat area of Kurram district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Nadeem Aslam Chaudhry, the chief secretary of the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, told Reuters that a woman and a child were among the people killed in the incident.
Chaudhry stated, “It’s a major tragedy and the death toll is likely to rise.”
“There were two convoys of passenger vehicles, one carrying passengers from Peshawar to Parachinar and another from Parachinar to Peshawar, when armed men opened fire on them,” a local resident of Parachinar, Ziarat Hussain told Reuters by telephone, adding that his relatives were travelling from Peshawar in the convoy.
President Asif Ali Zardari, in a statement, strongly condemned the attack on passenger vehicles.
Pakistan has seen a rise in terrorists activities this year, especially in Balochistan and KPK.
On Wednesday, at least 12 security personnel were martyred in a suicide attack in Bannu District in KPK.
“On 19 November 2024, Khawarij attempted to attack a Joint Check Post in general area MaliKhel in Bannu District,” the ISPR said in a statement.
“In ensuing fire exchange, six khawarij were sent to hell.”
The attempt to enter the post was effectively thwarted by own troops, which forced the khawarij to ram an explosive laden vehicle into the perimeter wall of the post, the military’s media wing said.
In October this year, at least 16 people, including three women and two children, were killed in a fresh tribal clash in Kurram district.
‘No other choice but to crush terrorists’
While chairing a meeting of the Federal Apex Committee of the National Action Plan on Tuesday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif vowed to crush the terrorist elements for peace and progress of the country.
The meeting was briefed on the evolving security landscape and the measures being taken to counter terrorism and other critical challenges, including general law and order situation.
Addressing the Apex meeting, the PM termed terrorism as the huge challenge for Pakistan.
The committee approved a comprehensive military operation against terrorist organisations operating in Balochistan including the Majeed Brigade, BLA, BLF and BRAS who are targeting innocent civilians and foreign nationals to scuttle Pakistan’s economic progress by creating insecurity at the behest of hostile external powers.
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