43 killed, 200 injured in Sunni-Shia clashes in NW Pakistan since July 24

Islamabad: At least 43 people have been killed and more than 200 injured after a land dispute turned into a wider sectarian conflict between Sunni and Shia tribes in Pakistan’s restive northwestern Kurram tribal district, bordering Afghanistan. Authorities confirmed 43 people were dead and over 200 hurt since the clashes started on July 24.
The warring tribes, with the support of a local tribal jirga, a traditional assembly of tribal elders, announced a temporary ceasefire following intense shelling and firing in the morning.
The volatile mountainous Kurram region has witnessed deadly conflicts among tribes and religious groups as well as sectarian clashes and militant attacks over the past several decades. According to the govt, there are eight major conflicts underway in Kurram and several of them date back to pre-Partition era.
The latest clashes erupted last week between two families - one Shia and another Sunni - over ownership of a property, and the hostility swiftly spread to several villages and settlements before engulfing the entire district.
Among the dead, authorities said, 34 were from Shia tribes and eight belonged to Sunni tribes. Firing continued through Sunday night and Monday morning in Maqbal and Teri Mangal areas of upper Kurram; Para Chamkani in central Kurram; and Balish Khel in lower Kurram. According to locals, Sunni tribes were getting support from across the border since the same families live on both sides of the Durand Line, a disputed border between Pakistan and Afghanistan.