Peshawar: At least 36 people were killed and 162 others injured in armed clashes between two tribes fighting over a piece of land in Pakistan's restive tribal district in northwest, officials said on Sunday.
Officials said that heavy clashes started five days ago in Boshera village in Upper Kurram district, which has witnessed deadly conflicts among tribes and religious groups as well as sectarian clashes and militant attacks in the past.
The Deputy Commissioner Kurram, Javedullah Mehsud, said that the tribal clashes left 36 people dead and 162 others injured in the last five days in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Kurram district, bordering Afghanistan.
Officials with the help of tribal elders, military leadership, police and district administration have brokered a truce between Shia and Sunni tribes in Boshera, Malikhel and Dandar areas a short while ago, police said. However, firing is still continuing in some other parts of the district.
An official said efforts were being made to reach a ceasefire in the remaining areas too. The tribal fighters have vacated the trenches, which are now under the control of the law enforcers.
Clashes broke out between the two tribes over a land dispute four days ago. The clashes spread to other areas, including Peewar, Tangi, Balishkhel, Khaar Kalay, Maqbal, Kunj Alizai, Para Chamkani and Karman.
The residents said rivals were using heavy and sophisticated weapons, including mortar shells and rocket launchers, against each other. They said that mortar and rocket shells were also fired on Parachinar and Sadda, the main cities in the Kurram tribal district. "There were at least four waves of attacks in last night's gunbattle resulting in more casualties," an official said.
All educational institutions and markets were closed, while traffic on main roads remained suspended during the day. Heavy contingents of police and security forces have been deployed in the affected areas, officials added.
