Islamabad: At least 19 people were killed and six injured today in sectarian clashes and fighting between rival militant groups in Pakistan's restive northwestern tribal areas bordering Afghanistan. The bodies of 12 tribesmen abducted last week were found this morning in Pakistan's northwestern Kurram Agency, which has been rocked by violent sectarian clashes over the weekend. Ali Akbar, a chief of the Shia Turi tribe, said all the dead belonged to his tribe and had been abducted on Thursday after an attack on a government food convoy.
The tribesmen were heading towards Parachinar, the main town in Kurram Agency, with the convoy when they were kidnapped by militants. The bodies of eight tribesmen, who were tortured before being killed, were found near Arwali while four more bodies were found near Saddah. The 12 tribesmen were kidnapped and killed despite a ceasefire negotiated by tribal elders following clashes that erupted on Saturday.
Akbar said the killings could worsen the situation in Kurram Agency, where hundreds have died in fierce clashes between Sunni and Shia tribesmen since last year. Akbar warned the government to take immediate action against the killers, failing which his tribe would "launch an independent action". Several attempts by tribal elders to broker a ceasefire in Kurram Agency have not succeeded. The main road linking the region to other parts of Pakistan has been blocked for several months, resulting in a shortage of food and medicines.
