Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Fresh clashes leave 17 dead in Kurram agency

Fresh clashes leave 17 dead in Kurram agency

PARACHINAR: At least 17 people were killed and 35 others were wounded in fresh clashes between the warring factions in Lower Kurram. The death toll in sectarian clashes between warring groups in various parts of the Kurram agency for last 14 days has increased to 109 while 235 have been injured so far.

Fierce clashes shook parts of Lower Kurram and the two groups were consolidating their positions. The locals said influx of Taliban from Swat, Dir and other areas is worsening the situation. Sources said, the fighting started in the region 14 days ago over a dispute on construction of bunkers in Khar Kali and Balishkhel. The injured have been shifted to agency headquarters hospital.

Both sides have been accusing each other of seeking assistance from outsiders. Local people said that fresh clashes had erupted in Balishkhel, Khar Kali, Sangina, Mangak, Kochi Parachamkani and Kirman.

The Kurram agency has seen frequent clashes over the past two years. Residents said that 'movement of the militants' in the area had caused sectarian clashes. They demanded of the Government to play its role to end fighting in the agency.

The main road from Thal to Parachinar has been closed to traffic for the past five months, causing severe shortages of foodstuff and medicines in Upper Kurram.

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Pakistan tribes request army aid against Taliban

The Nation Newspaper Pakistan

Kurram killings

Published: June 29, 2009

KURRAM Agency, which has seen sectarian strife in the past, has once again erupted into violence. The fresh clashes between warring groups in various parts of the Agency on Friday night and Saturday left 33 people dead and 65 others injured, many of them seriously. The fighting that began about two weeks ago intensified after the reported infiltration of outsiders from Waziristan and Hangu district but what is disturbing for the local population is lack of action by the security forces deployed there. 
The situation has turned frightening for half a million people living in the region bordering Afghanistan. Some of them who spoke to the media on Saturday sounded bitter over the attitude of the administration whom they accused of having given a free hand to the troublemakers. The Shias, who constitute 42 percent of the total population, are sacred of the increasing influx of Taliban in the area from Swat, Dir and other parts of the Malakand Division. A tribal leader in Upper Kurram said more than 700 tribesmen have been martyred while fighting the Taliban over the past two years but they were determined to stand "shoulder to shoulder with the Army" in the operation against militants. Both sides are trying to consolidate their positions while accusing each other of seeking help from the outsiders. Recently militants attacked a government convoy carrying food to the troubled region, which triggered a clash between the rival groups and left nine people dead. Such incidents exacerbate both food crisis and humanitarian situation in the region that remains disconnected from the rest of Pakistan because the main road leading to the Agency is controlled by militants who do not allow foodstuff and medicines to reach the area.


SOURCE: http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/Opinions/Editorials/29-Jun-2009/Kurram-killings

 

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Kurram clashes kill another 27, injure several

Turi-Bangash clashes leave three more dead
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
Our correspondent

SADDA: Despite hectic efforts by the political authorities and elders to broker a ceasefire between the warring tribes, the tribal clashes spilled over to Walai Cheena and Tangai areas leaving three more persons dead and nine others injured in the restive lower Kurram Agency on Tuesday.

Sources said the rival Bangash and Turi tribes were targeting each other's positions with light and heavy weapons in Balishkhel Sangeena, Khar Killay, Sadda city and Mingak areas in lower Kurram that left three persons dead and seven others injured.

The clashes spread to Walai Cheena and Tangai areas and two more persons, whose identity could not be established, were injured when a house was hit by a rocket. The two sides were trading gunfire, mortars and rockets in these areas.

Two mortar shells were also fired on Sadda city, but these caused no loss of life or damage to property. The main electricity transmission line in Marokhel and Balishkhel areas was damaged when hit by a rocket fired by infighting groups, disrupting the power supply to a vast area.

At least 120 persons, including women and children, have been killed and over 240 injured in the 15-day tribal clashes. All the business centres, markets, shops, government and private departments, organisations and educational institutions had remained closed due to intense factional fighting.
 

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27 killed in Kurram Agency clashes

 GEO Pakistan
 Terrorism claimed over 3,000 lives in tribal areas: report
 Updated at: 1204 PST,  Wednesday, July 01, 2009
Terrorism claimed over 3,000 lives in tribal areas: report PESHAWAR: Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) secretariat has issued the report of monetary and human losses done by terrorism and extremism in the tribal areas.

A 21 pages report revealed that more than $2 billion damages were done by terrorism in tribal areas.

Tribal areas suffered most as compared to other parts of the country. More than 3,000 people were killed in tribal areas during terror activities. Bajaur Agency was the worst hit area where 600 people were killed. The wake of terrorism claimed five hundred lives Kurram Agency, South and North Waziristan. The number of people wounded in terror incident is over 3,000.

According to report, the initial property losses is estimated up to $103 million whereas the losses estimated in economic and social sectors are $119 million and $109 million respectively. 

Extremism takes its toll in agriculture sector also in the form of $188 million losses. Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) expenses estimated $572 million.

The report disclosed that militants are equipped with latest weapons whereas in contrast of this, Khasadar Force have outdated arms insufficient for retaliatory action against militants.

The personnel of Khasadar and Levies getting Rs.3,500 salary per month while militants getting Rs.10,000 to 15,000 per month. The report termed this major inequality as the basic reason of unrest in these areas. The estimated $two billion is needed for reconstruction and rehabilitation of tribal areas, it added

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Kurram clashes kill another 27, injure several

DAWN.COM
Kurram clashes kill another 27, injure several

Wednesday, 01 Jul, 2009 | 12:46 PM PST |
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The death toll over 16 days of fighting in the region has climbed to 148, with more than 200 injured. — AP

< /strong>PARACHINAR: Clashes between rival tribes in the Kurram Agency have intensified with the latest fighting leaving 27 people dead and several injured.

The 27 dead include 21 militants.

The death toll over 16 days of fighting in the region has climbed to 148, with more than 200 injured.

Fighting was underway between tribes in the Balishkhel, Khar Kalai, Sangina, Kochi, Mindak, Tangi, Kirman and Parachamkani areas.

The clashes erupted when militants opened fired on officials of the political administration and jirga members near a check post in Lower Kurram, officials said.

Local say both the tribes want peace but militants from neighbouring districts and tribal agencies have increased tensions between the two tribes.

On Sunday, an All Parties' Conference held in Parachinar urged the government to immediately start an operation against the militants in Kurram agency. — DawnNews

SOURCE: http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/04-kurram-clashes-27-qs-07

 

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Pakistan tribes request army aid against Taliban

Pakistan tribes request army aid against Taliban

PARACHINAR, Pakistan (AP) — Tribesmen attacked Taliban hideouts in northwest Pakistan on Wednesday, killing 28 militants and suffering seven fatalities themselves, and the intensifying battles prompted them to ask for army troops to help, a local lawmaker said.

The clash in the remote Kurram region was the latest in two weeks of battles between militants and tribesmen there that have killed 141 people, including more than 100 insurgents, two government officials said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to media. Their accounts could not be independently verified.

Pakistan's leaders have encouraged local tribesmen in the semiautonomous areas close to the Afghan border to establish militias, known as lashkars, to flush out Taliban fighters blamed for attacks in the nuclear-armed country as well as in Afghanistan.

Such groups have been set up in several regions, but face stiff Taliban resistance.

Sajid Hussain Toori, a lawmaker from Kurram, said the militants were moving into Kurram from the Swat Valley, where the military is undertaking an offensive to root them out. He said hundreds of tribesmen took part in the attack early Wednesday, triggering a gunbattle that killed 28 militants and seven tribal fighters.

"Kurram is an important place because the Taliban can cross the Afghan border from here easily," Toori said. "The lashkar is facing these armed Taliban, but we request that the government send troops to Kurram to fight the Taliban as quickly as possible."

The fighting comes as Pakistani troops gear up for an offensive in South Waziristan, another part of the tribal belt where Pakistan's Taliban chief is believed to be based.

This week, militants in North Waziristan announced they were pulling out of a peace pact with the government because of army operations in the northwest and continued U.S. missile strikes in the region. The collapse of the peace deal raises the likelihood that the army will have to wage an offensive in North Waziristan as well as South Waziristan.

Elsewhere in the northwest Wednesday, a roadside bomb targeting a local police chief exploded, killing a passer-by, police said. The incident took place in Dera Ismail Khan, a city near South Waziristan, said police officer Miran Shah.

Dera Ismail Khan has witnessed significant violence in recent years, some of it due to rivalries between Shiite and Sunni Muslims. Attacks on security forces in the region, however, tend to be blamed on Taliban militants.

Associated Press Writer Ishtiaq Mahsud contributed to this story from Dera Ismail Khan.

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27 killed in Kurram Agency clashes


27 killed in Kurram Agency clashes

Updated at: 1400 PST, Wednesday, July 01, 2009
PARACHINAR: At least 27 people were Wednesday killed in clashes between two groups in Kurram Agency.

According to sources, two groups clashed with each other in Kurram Agency area of Mangak, killing 21 people including a commander of a group; while, six from other group were killed.

The most of bodies have been taken to Parachinar. The whole area is tense following the clashes.

 

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