At least 38 people were killed on Thursday when gunmen opened fire on passenger vehicles in the Uchat area of Kurram district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Among the victims were a woman and a child. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s chief secretary, Nadeem Aslam Chaudhry, described the attack as a major tragedy, with the death toll expected to rise. Local resident Ziarat Hussain, whose relatives were traveling from Peshawar, explained that two convoys—one traveling from Peshawar to Parachinar and the other in the opposite direction—were targeted by armed assailants.
President Asif Ali Zardari condemned the attack, while Pakistan continues to face increasing terrorist activity this year, especially in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Just the day before, a suicide attack in Bannu District killed 12 security personnel. In response to rising security challenges, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif vowed to defeat terrorism to ensure the country’s peace and progress. The Federal Apex Committee has approved a major military operation against terrorist groups in Balochistan, which have been destabilizing the region and targeting civilians.
