Aid convoy attacked in Kurram
KURRAM: A soldier was martyred while six terrorists were killed after security forces retaliated to an attack on an aid convoy carrying essential goods for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s violence-marred district of Kurram, local administration said on Thursday. “A soldier is martyred and four others sustained injuries in the attack,” said Additional Deputy Commissioner Shaukat Ali, adding that three vehicles in the aid convoy were damaged.
In response, security forces gave a befitting response to the attackers, killing six terrorists and injuring 10 others, he added.
Security sources told Geo News that assailants targeted the convoy today by carrying out heavy firing on cargo trucks carrying medicines, vegetables, fruits, and other food items.
They added that the terrorists fled from the scene after facing heavy losses due to the timely response of security forces and police. A search operation was also conducted in the affected region to wipe out any other terrorists, they said.
The sources confirmed that 10 vehicles have safely reached Alizai — a town in the Kurram district — while the remaining vehicles were stopped for security reasons.
It was a major setback to the peace agreement that finally allowed aid to be sent to the restive region which remained in the spotlight for months following a wave of tribal violence that claimed over 130 lives and resulted in the closure of routes for over 100 days.
According to the district administration, the incident occurred when the first phase of the third aid convoy was heading to Kurram through Bagan including 35 cargo vehicles.
In the aftermath, vehicles from the convoy have begun to return to Tal, according to Geo News. Meanwhile, cargo trucks that had been at the Chapri checkpoint are also heading back.
The administration said that additional vehicles were expected to depart for Kurram in the second phase later today.
To ensure the convoy’s safety, the authorities deployed police, Frontier Corps (FC), and other security forces.
