2024 Kurram attack

2024 Kurram attack
Part of the sectarian violence in Pakistan, insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Location	Kurram District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
Date	21 November 2024
Target	A large convoy of 200 vehicles transporting Shiite Muslims
Attack type	Mass shooting, ambush
Deaths	54
Injured	86 (16 critically)
Perpetrators	Islamic State (suspected)
No. of participants	4
Motive	Anti-Shi'ism

On 21 November 2024, gunmen attacked a large convoy of vehicles transporting Shiite Muslims in the Kurram District of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, killing at least 54 people and injuring 86 others. The attack was one of northwestern Pakistan's deadliest incidents of sectarian violence in recent years. The attack was described as a "terrorist attack" by Pakistani authorities.

Background

The attack, one of northwestern Pakistan's deadliest incidents of sectarian violence in recent years, marked a significant escalation in sectarian tensions that had already claimed numerous lives in preceding months.

Sunni and Shia Muslims are in conflict in the region over a dispute over land. Half of the population of the Kurram region are Shiite Muslims, while the majority of Pakistan are Sunni Muslims.

Attack

Four gunmen emerged from a vehicle and opened fire on a convoy of over 200 vehicles containing Shiite Muslims traveling from Parachinar to Peshawar along a remote highway. The gunmen initially targeted police escort vehicles, who were assigned to protect the convoy due to prior instances of sectarian violence on roadways, before firing on the passengers. Additional attackers reportedly fired from nearby farm fields.

The assault lasted approximately 40 minutes, claiming the lives of over 37 men, five children and eight women, while leaving dozens of victims in critical condition at local hospitals. No group initially claimed responsibility for the attack.

Aftermath

The attack triggered renewed sectarian clashes in Kurram. Rioters in the villages of Bagan and Bacha Kot set fire to shops, houses and government buildings. Protesters in Parachinar set ablaze two police checkpoints. Reports emerged of intense gunfire in Lower Kurram Agency between the Alizai and Bagan tribes. By 23 November 33 people had been killed in fighting across Kurram with an additional 47 being wounded as well as over 300 shops and 100 houses being razed.

Reactions

Domestic

The incident prompted immediate responses from Pakistan's leadership: Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi categorized it as a terrorist attack, while Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari issued strong condemnations and promises of justice against the parties responsible. Heightened security measures were implemented. Nadeem Aslam Chaudhry, Chief Secretary of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, called the attack a "major tragedy" and said the death toll was likely to rise.

Local Shiite leaders criticized authorities for failing to provide adequate security despite recent threats against the Shiite community. Several shop owners in Parachinar went on strike in protest against regional violence.

Foreign governments

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian condemned the attack, expressing his condolences to the government Pakistan and the families of the victims. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on his X account, "Our condolences to the victims' families and the people and government of brotherly Pakistan. We ask Almighty Allah for the speedy recovery of those injured. We spare no effort in strengthening bilateral and multilateral coordination and cooperation to uproot the scourge of terrorism".

US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller expressed solidarity with Pakistan during a press briefing, condemning the attack and expressing sympathy for the victims and their families. MIller additionally highlighted the United States' cooperation with the Pakistani government in counterterrorism. Spokesperson of the US embassy in Islamabad Jonathan Lalley expressed a similar sentiment to the State Department, stating that Pakistanis 'deserve to live free from harm, danger, and threat, and to feel protected and secure in their daily lives' and that the US will remain a 'steadfast partner' to the nation. Additional messages of solidarity were issued by the Australian, Iranian and Russian embassies in Islamabad.

See also

• 2022 Peshawar mosque attack
• 2023 Peshawar mosque bombing
• 2023 Parachinar school shooting
• 2012 Kohistan Shia massacre