PESHAWAR/ISLAMABAD: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has announced a new operation against militants in Kurram following the martyrdom of five security officials in multiple attacks on Monday.
This renewed wave of violence threatens the fragile peace established in the region after a ceasefire agreement ended months of conflict that had claimed approximately 130 lives. The Thall-Parachinar road, the sole land route linking Upper Kurram to other parts of the country, remains closed due to ongoing militant attacks.
Since the ceasefire agreement between warring factions in Kurram earlier this year, aid deliveries to the region have been facilitated through heavily guarded convoys.
According to sources, on Monday, an aid convoy consisting of several trucks entered Lower Kurram via the Chapri Gate around noon, heading towards Parachinar. The convoy was under the escort of police and other security forces.
At approximately 12:30 pm, the convoy came under fire at Ochat Kalay near Mandori in Lower Kurram. Security personnel responded to the attack, while two army gunship helicopters targeted the surrounding areas. The exchange of fire lasted for over two hours. An army soldier was martyred in the attack, and seven others, including a policeman, two truck drivers, and four civilians, were injured.
Later that day, a second attack occurred at the same location around 6 pm when militants attempted to loot stranded aid trucks. In this assault, assailants opened fire on a Frontier Corps (FC) officer’s vehicle, injuring five personnel, though the officer himself was unharmed.
At approximately 8:30 pm, another ambush targeted the FC’s Quick Response Force convoy, which had been dispatched to rescue the injured soldiers. This attack, near the Government High School in Ochat Kalay, resulted in the martyrdom of four FC personnel and the damage of three vehicles. The number of militants killed or injured in these attacks remains unclear.
‘Attack by locals’
A truck driver, Gul Faraz, who was caught in the crossfire, alleged that announcements were made through mosque loudspeakers urging locals to attack the convoy. Another driver, Akram Khan, claimed the attackers were locals. Several drivers have reportedly gone missing since the attack.
Last month, security forces launched an operation in various parts of central Kurram, including Mandori, Ochat, Charkhel, Chapri, and Paraw, to clear the area of militants. Helicopters were used during this multi-day operation to strike suspected militant hideouts.
According to sources, the provincial government believes that some militants may still be hiding in the area, prompting the decision to initiate the latest operation.
