2024 Kurram massacre
This article is about a current event. |
On 21 November 2024, gunmen attacked a large convoy of vehicles transporting Shiite Muslims in the Kurram District of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. They killed at least fifty people and injured thirty others. Khyber Pakhtukwha has a long border with Afghanistan.
| 2024 Kurram massacre | |
|---|---|
| Location | Kurram District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan |
| Date | 21 November 2024 |
| Target | A large convoy of 200 vehicles transporting Shiite Muslims |
Attack type | Mass shooting, ambush |
| Deaths | 50[1] |
Injured | 30+[2][3] (11 critically) |
| Perpetrators | Islamic State (suspected) |
No. of participants | 4 |
| Motive | Anti-Shi'ism |
The attack was one of northwestern Pakistan's deadliest incidents of sectarian violence in recent years.[4] The attack was described as a "terrorist attack" by Pakistani authorities.[5]
Most people in Pakistan are Muslims. Most of these are Sunnites, but in some areas, there are also large groups of Shiites. There were a number of incidents in the past, where different Muslim groups in Pakistan attacked each other. Such incidents are usually called sectarian violence. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa there are also areas with larger groups of Shiites. One of these areas is Kurram.
Four people carried out the attack. They shot at a convoy of over 200 vehicles, travelling m Parachinar to Peshawar. Most people in the convoy were Shiites.
Sunni and Shia Muslims are in conflict in the region over a dispute over land.[6] Half of the population of the Kurram region are Shiite Muslims, while the majority of Pakistan are Sunni Muslims.[4]
Pakistan's leadership responded imnediately: Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi categorized it as a terrorist attack,[5] while Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari issued strong condemnations and promises of justice against the parties responsible. Heightened security measures were implemented.[5] Nadeem Aslam Chaudhry, Chief Secretary of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, called the attack a "major tragedy" and said the death toll was likely to rise.[6]
Local Shiite leaders criticized authorities for failing to provide adequate security despite recent threats against the Shiite community. Several shop owners in Parachinar went on strike in protest against regional violence.[5][7]
References
change- ↑ "Fear Grips Pakistan's Kurram District As 50 Killed In Cold Blood". MENAFN. November 22, 2024. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
- ↑ Farooq Khan, Omer (November 22, 2024). "Gunmen kill 50 in ambush on convoy in Pakistan's Kurram district". MSN via The Times of India. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
- ↑ 39 killed in Kurram convoy bloodbath
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 ur-Rehman, Zia (November 21, 2024). "At Least 38 Killed as Gunmen Ambush Shiite Convoys in Pakistan".
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 "At least 42 killed as gunmen open fire on vehicles carrying Shiites in northwest Pakistan". AP News. 2024-11-21. Archived from the original on 2024-11-21. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Ali, Mushtaq (November 21, 2024). "Gunmen attack Pakistan passenger vehicles, killing at least 38 people". MSN. Retrieved 2024-11-22.
- ↑ "Hundreds flee deadly sectarian violence in north-west Pakistan". The Guadian.