At least 10 people, including women and children, were killed and another three injured when unidentified armed men attacked a passenger van in Upper Kurram Agency on Saturday.
Per detail, the passenger van was headed to Sadda village of Kurram when the assailants opened indiscriminate fire on the vehicle near Pasho bridge, killing 10 people on the spot. The dead included three children and women. The sources said those killed in the attack were Sunnis. Officials confirmed the death toll, saying it was an incident of sectarian violence.
Roads in Kurram, including the Tal-Parachinar Highway, had opened in February after a hiatus of four years. During those four years, a successful peace agreement was signed between Ahl-e-Sunnat-Wal-Jamaat and Ahl-e-Tashi sects under the supervision of federal government. It was the third attack on public transport since the peace agreement was signed in February 2011.
The first attack came on March 13 when armed men attacked a public transport vehicle heading towards Peshawar from Parachinar. The attack had claimed the life of eight Shias. The second attack occurred on March 25 when unidentified armed men, believed to be militants, opened fire on a caravan of vehicles on way to Parachinar from Tul, killing 14 people. The militants also abducted several passengers and released them after receiving Rs 30 million in ransom.
