Two martyred as convoy attacked in Kurram

PARACHINAR/PESHAWAR: A security forces personnel and a driver were martyred, while 15 others, including four drivers and a cop, were injured when armed assailants attacked a convoy of vehicles traveling to Parachinar in Lower Kurram on Monday, official sources said.

According to police, armed individuals ambushed food and supply trucks, which were being escorted by security forces, in the areas of Ochat, Dad Qamar, Mandori, Charkhail, and Bagan using automatic weapons.

Driver Gul Faraz said that as soon as announcements were made urging people to seize the goods, crowds emerged and started looting the trucks, and later set them ablaze. Following the attack, more than 35 vehicles remained stranded in the area, while nine trucks safely reached Alizai, and around 20 trucks returned to Thall.

Another driver, Akram Khan, told the media that the convoy came under fire from the local population and that several drivers were still missing. He said among the injured were women and children who were caught in the crossfire.

Security forces launched a major operation in the affected areas. In an emergency press conference, trade union leaders, including Imdad Ali, Safeer, and Waseem Hussain, condemned the incident, expressing disappointment that such an attack occurred despite the presence of security forces. They lamented that armed individuals openly looted and set vehicles on fire with impunity.

Meanwhile, Turi Bangash tribal leader Jalal Bangash condemned the attack as a malicious attempt to sabotage peace.

In Peshawar, Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur presided over an important meeting on the attack on the convoy in Kurram.

Chief Secretary Syed Shahab Ali Shah, Inspector General of Police Zulfiqar Hameed, Additional Chief Secretary (Home), and other officials attended the meeting. The meeting reviewed the situation and made important decisions in response to the incident.

The chief minister condemned the firing and looting of goods-laden convoys. He directed authorities to take effective action to restore peace. It was decided in the meeting to clear Ochat, Mandori, and other areas of miscreants.

Authorities were directed to take indiscriminate and strict action against miscreants in these areas, the government spokesperson said. The local population will be evacuated from these areas to ensure effective operations against miscreants, the spokesperson added, saying the provincial government views this incident with extreme concern.