PAKISTAN: Militants kill 18 civilians in convoy ambush in Pashtun-dominated tribal region of Kurram

Record ID: 352563

  • Title: PAKISTAN: Militants kill 18 civilians in convoy ambush in Pashtun-dominated tribal region of Kurram
  • Date: 18th July 2010
  • Summary: PARACHINAR, TRIBAL AREAS OF PAKISTAN (JULY 17, 2010) (ORIGINAL 4X3) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF COFFINS BEING CARRIED THROUGH CROWDS (6 SHOTS) QUIET STREETS/ SHOPS SHUTTURED UP (2 SHOTS) (SOUNDBITE) (Urdu) SYED EJAZ SHAH, TRIBAL ELDER, SAYING: "The road has been blocked for four years. No one inquires about our wellbeing. The government has left us at the mercy of the terrori
  • Embargoed: 2nd August 2010 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Pakistan
  • Country: Pakistan
  • Topics: Crime / Law Enforcement
  • Reuters ID: LVA9F2VTBJ9W8CGVJEP4JMCE80OG
  • Story Text: Eighteen residents of a town in Pakistan were killed on Saturday (July 17) after an ambush by militants.
    The attack happened in the Pashtun-dominated tribal region of Kurram.
    The convoy of civilian vehicles was being escorted by security forces from the town of Parachinar to the northwestern city of Peshawar.
    Witnesses said militants opened fire on the last two vehicles near Char Khel village.
    As the bodies of the victims were returned to Parachinar, hundreds of tribesmen turned out to mourn the dead.
    Shops were closed for the day.
    Syed Ejaz Shah, a local tribal elder, criticised the government for not doing enough to tackle the militants.
    He said the road to Peshawar had been a serious problem for four years.
    "The road has been blocked for four years. No one inquires about our wellbeing. The government has left us at the mercy of the terrorists.
    The government should open the road and bring peace into this region," he said.
    "Death to the Taliban" read banners that have sprung up in different parts of the town.
    The road linking Kurram with Peshawar often remains closed because of militants and Pakistan army operations, forcing people to take a
    circuitous route through Afghanistan to travel to the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province and its capital, Peshawar.
    But that route is not safe. At least 11 people were killed in a similar attack last week when a passenger bus heading to
    Peshawar was attacked inside Afghanistan.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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