At least 50 people, including women and children, 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 Reuters. Chaudhry described the attack as a "major tragedy" and warned that the death toll could rise.
The convoys, comprising approximately 40 vehicles under police escort, were ambushed in two separate incidents, said senior administration official Javed ullah Mehsud. “The attackers, numbering around 10, fired indiscriminately from both sides of the road,” Mehsud said, as quoted by AFP.
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.
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.
This volatile region has witnessed multiple sectarian clashes this year. In October, at least 16 people, including women and children, were killed in similar violence. Earlier clashes in July and September claimed dozens of lives, with temporary ceasefires brokered by tribal councils.