Six killed as gunmen attack passenger vehicle in Kurram

PARACHINAR/KOHAT: At least six people were killed on Wednesday when unidentified gunmen ambushed a passenger vehicle in the lower part of the volatile Kurram tribal district, officials said.

They said the assailants opened fire on the vehicle, which was traveling from Para Chamkani to Sadda, with automatic weapons in Ahmed Khan Killay, killing six passengers on the spot. The bodies were shifted to a nearby hospital under police supervision, while security forces rushed to the scene and cordoned off the area.

Authorities said the motive behind the attack was not immediately clear and an investigation had been launched. “We can’t say at the moment whether it is sectarian-related, a case of personal enmity or an act of terrorism. All aspects are being investigated,” a police official said.

The security forces launched a massive search operation across lower part of Kurram after the attack. Regional Police Officer (RPO) Kohat Abbas Majeed Marwat told reporters that law- enforcement agencies, supported by heavy contingents of police and security personnel, conducted raids in Ahmed Khan Killay, Mahora and surrounding mountainous areas.

“So far, 15 suspected militants and facilitators have been taken into custody,” RPO Marwat revealed. “A large cache of weapons was also seized during the raids. The search operation is ongoing and terrorist hideouts in the mountains are being dismantled.”

Marwat stressed that the perpetrators would not escape justice. “The sacrifice of innocent lives will not go unanswered. No one will be allowed to disrupt peace in Kurram district,” he added. The attack drew strong condemnation from local leaders. Member of the National Assembly and parliamentary leader of Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM), Hamid Hussain, denounced the incident, describing it as part of a “deliberate conspiracy” to destabilise Kurram. “In a peaceful area like Ahmed Khan Killay, such an attack is shocking and unacceptable,” Hussain said. Community elders from the Turi-Bangash tribes also condemned the killings, urging the government to take decisive action against those responsible. The Kurram tribal district has long been vulnerable to sectarian violence and militant attacks. Though security operations in recent years have improved stability, sporadic incidents of targeted killings and ambushes continue to threaten the fragile peace.