KURRAM, Pakistan — A convoy delivering food and medical supplies to Parachinar was ambushed in the Bagan area of Lower Kurram, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, on Thursday, leaving one Pakistani soldier dead and four others injured, officials said.
The attack is linked to ongoing land disputes in the region, which have claimed at least 130 lives since November. The prolonged conflict has led to road blockades, causing severe shortages of essential supplies in Parachinar.
A peace agreement was signed on January 1, but the primary route to Parachinar remains inaccessible. Just days earlier, on January 4, another government convoy was attacked near Bagan, injuring Kurram’s deputy commissioner and stranding vehicles.
Assistant Commissioner Saeed Mannan reported that Thursday’s convoy of 35 vehicles, traveling from Thall to Parachinar, came under heavy fire. “The administration is working to bring the situation under control after the attack in Bagan,” Mannan said.
Additional Deputy Commissioner Shaukat Ali confirmed that three vehicles were damaged in the ambush. In retaliation, security forces killed six attackers and injured 10 others.
Kurram Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Ashfaq Khan told AFP that clashes near Thall were ongoing.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif recently stated that efforts to stabilize Kurram are underway. He noted that 25 vehicles from a second convoy had successfully reached the district. Meanwhile, Barrister Mohammad Ali Saif, adviser to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister on information, announced the start of bunker demolitions as part of the peace agreement.
