Islamabad - A fresh wave of sectarian clashes fuelled by
Islamist militancy in Pakistan's troubled north-western region near
Afghanistan killed at least 33 people over the weekend, a media
report said on Sunday.
The clashes broke between Sunni and Shiites Muslims in the Kurram
tribal district last week after insurgents infiltrated the area to
flee a military offensive against the Taliban fighters elsewhere in
the volatile region.
At least 33 people were killed and 65 more were wounded as
fighting raged Friday night and continued through Saturday in Lower
Kurram, which adjoins the al-Qaeda and Taliban hotbed of North
Waziristan region, the English-language Dawn newspaper reported.
Dawn said clashes during the last two weeks had left around 89
people dead and 175 injured.
Shiite tribesmen, who are in majority in Kurram, are calling for
raising local militias, or Lashkars, to block the entry of mostly
Sunni militants. They have been challenging the Taliban movement for
the last two years.
'We have had over 700 young people martyred but have not allowed
these militants to secure a toehold in Upper Kurram,' tribal leader
Haji Rauf was quoted by Dawn as saying. 'Now the influx of Taliban
from Swat, Dir and other areas is worsening the situation.'
Government forces have been battling with the Taliban militants in
the former tourist resort of Swat and its neighbouring districts
since late April, and claimed to have eliminated more than 1,600
rebels.
Rauf said the government should launch a similar military
operation in Kurram, adding that the tribesmen would 'fight alongside
our soldiers.'
Kurram has been in the grip of sectarian strife for the last two
years and has seen several deadly episodes of violence which claimed
hundreds of lives.
The key land route between the district's main town of Parachinar
and the rest of the country has been cut off for the last several
months, causing shortage of food and medical supplies. Authorities
have been airlifting consignments but the problem persists.
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