Tribal clashes kill at least 11 people in Pakistan

Tribal clashes killed at least 11 people in northwestern Pakistan on Saturday and injured eight, including women and children, a local official said.

Tensions rose in Kurram district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, after two people were critically injured in a shooting incident between rival tribes. It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the shooting.

Vehicles were targeted in different areas of the district, leading to more casualties, said senior official Javedullah Khan.

Khan said efforts were being made to secure travel routes and restore normalcy. The injured were taken to a hospital.

Pir Haider Ali Shah, a former parliamentarian and member of a tribal council, said elders had arrived in Kurram to mediate a peace agreement between the tribes.

“The recent firing incidents are regrettable and have hampered efforts for lasting peace,” he said.

Last month, at least 25 people were killed in days of clashes between armed Shia and Sunni Muslims over a land dispute.

Although both live together largely peacefully in the country, tensions have existed for decades between them in some areas, especially in Kurram, where Shias dominate in parts of the district.