At least four people were killed and three others injured on Sunday when unidentified gunmen opened fire on two vehicles in Pakistan’s restive Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, police said. District Police Officer (DPO) Muhammad Imran said that armed attackers with automated weapons targeted two vehicles en route from Parachinar to Peshawar, Dawn News reported.
He said two security personnel were among those killed in the attack near Sadda Bazaar in Khurram district. Efforts are underway to find and arrest the culprits, the DPO said. No group or individual claimed responsibility for the attack, but the region is known for sectarian clashes between Sunnis and Shias. Dr Qaiser Abbas, the deputy medical superintendent of Parachinar District Headquarters Hospital, confirmed the injured people were receiving treatment at the hospital. Local tribes of Turi Bangash have called for an emergency meeting to decide on a plan of action about the attacks.
Last month, nine people were killed and 25 injured in a “terrorist” attack on a passenger bus in Gilgit-Baltistan’s Chilas. The year 2023 witnessed an alarming rise in terror-related incidents in the country in general and in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in particular as the province witnessed 419 militant attacks in which 620 people were killed, including 306 security forces personnel, 222 civilians, and 92 militants.
