At least 33 people were killed and 25 others injured in overnight sectarian fighting between armed Sunni and Shiite groups in Pakistan’s northwestern Kurram district, a senior police officer said Saturday, marking the second major outbreak of violence in the region this week.
The latest clashes in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province erupted just days after a deadly gun ambush killed 42 people in the same area. Armed men from the Alizai and Bagan tribes engaged in intense exchanges of heavy weapons fire in the Lower Kurram area, while attackers torched shops, houses, and government buildings in Bagan and Bacha Kot, according to police.
“Educational institutions in Kurram are closed due to the severe tension. Both sides are targeting each other with heavy and automatic weapons,” said a senior police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity because he lacked authorization to discuss the situation with media.
Videos obtained by The Associated Press showed a market engulfed in flames, with gunfire echoing through the night. The violence follows Thursday’s attack in which gunmen emerged from vehicles to spray buses and cars with bullets, though no group has claimed responsibility for that incident.
The fighting highlights persistent tensions in Kurram, where Shiite Muslims, who make up about 15% of Pakistan’s 240 million people, have historically coexisted uneasily with the Sunni majority. Dozens from both communities have been killed since July when a land dispute escalated into broader sectarian violence.
