At least 38 people, including a woman and a child, were killed on Thursday when gunmen targeted passenger vehicles in the Ochat area of Kurram district in Kohat division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, police told Geo News.
The convoy, travelling from Parachinar to Peshawar, came under attack, leaving several injured, including three women, alongside the fatalities.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, during a press conference in Islamabad, confirmed that 38 persons lost their lives in the brutal assault and strongly condemned the incident.
Kurram district has been plagued by tribal and factional clashes for several months, claiming numerous lives. The violence has frequently disrupted main and link roads, as well as the border with Afghanistan, creating hardships for residents.
Local elders have warned that prolonged road closures could lead to a severe humanitarian crisis, with acute shortages of food, medicines, and fuel supplies in the district. Tribal leaders from the Turi and Bangash communities expressed grave concerns over the scarcity of essential goods and escalating distress among the population.
They also highlighted that the suspension of 3G and 4G services had disrupted education and business activities, further aggravating the situation.
Following previous attacks on passenger vehicles, routes including the main Parachinar-Peshawar road were closed due to fears of renewed violence. The region continues to reel under the threat of such incidents.
In September, clashes between rival tribes over a land dispute resulted in 60 deaths and dozens of injuries, according to KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi.
Earlier in August, a temporary two-month ceasefire had been brokered after similar clashes claimed 50 lives and injured 226.
