Islamabad - At least eight people were killed on Tuesday as
warring Sunni and Shiite Muslim tribes defied a self-declared
ceasefire in Pakistan's Kurram tribal district, officials said.
The fresh wave of sectarian violence has swept through Kurram
since early August, with running clashes leaving about 500 people
dead and more than 700 injured.
'Heavy gunfire from both sides killed eight tribesmen and wounded
more than 15 others,' an official in the semi-autonomous tribal
region said while seeking anonymity.
According to the official, the casualty toll could increase as the
fighting was still raging, with scores of pro-Taliban militants
crossing into Kurram from adjoining lawless regions to join the Sunni
Muslims belonging to the Bangash tribe.
The Bangash, along with five other tribes in Lower Kurram,
announced a ceasefire on Monday after almost 100 people were killed
in the conflict's most violent clashes last weekend.
The rival Shiite Toori tribe also called a truce earlier in
veneration of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan that commenced this
week.
Sectarian violence gripped Kurram in April 2007 and the region has
been inaccessible through roads as armed men from the warning
factions have blocked the routes. Several convoys carrying food and
medical supplies were also attacked and destroyed.
Thousands of local people have relocated to safer places but are
persistently asking the government to bring peace to Kurram. A large
crowd staged a protest demonstration against the Kurram clashes and
road blockades in the capital Islamabad on Monday, suspending traffic
on the city's main artery for hours.
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