PARACHINAR – A helicopter carrying a delegation of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government delegation from Peshawar to clashes-hit Kurram district narrowly escaped disaster after it reportedly came under attack in Parachinar.
Reports said KP law minister, chief secretary and other officials were travelling to Kurram to review the situation after 15 people were killed in fresh armed clashes.
The helicopter pilot managed to make safe landing following the firing incident while all delegation members remained unhurt in the incident.
Earlier in the day, at least 15 people were killed and more than two dozen injured in armed clashes between different groups in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s tribal district of Kurram.
Police said the groups are targeting each other with heavy and automatic weapons, prompting the authorities to shut schools in the region.
The latest wave of armed clashes ensued after passenger vehicles were targeted by unknown gunmen in Kurram earlier this week.
On Thursday, at least 44 people including six women were killed after unknown assailants targeted passenger vehicles in Ochat area of Kurram district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Police said the vehicles were travelling from Parachinar to Peshawar when they came under the attack, adding that several other passengers were injured in the attack.
It has been several months since the district witnessed massive clashes between various tribes and parties. The violence has claimed dozens of lives in the region.
