Tribal clashes in north-west Pakistan kill at least 11 people

At least 11 people have been killed in tribal clashes in the north-west of Pakistan, a local official has said.

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

Vehicles were targeted in different areas of the district, leading to more casualties, said Javedullah Khan, a senior official. Khan said efforts were being made to secure travel routes and to restore calm to the area. The injured, which included children, were taken to hospital.

Pir Haider Ali Shah, a former parliamentarian and a member of a tribal council, said elders had arrived in Kurram to mediate a peace agreement between the tribes. He said: “The recent firing incidents are regrettable and have hampered efforts for lasting peace.”

Last month, at least 25 people were killed in several days of clashes between armed Shia and Sunni Muslims over a land dispute. Although both groups live together largely peacefully in Pakistan, tensions have existed for decades in some areas, especially in Kurram, where Shia Muslims dominate in parts of the district.

Also on Saturday, a separatist group in the south-west of Pakistan claimed responsibility for an attack that killed 21 people. The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) said its fighters targeted a coalmine in Duki district on Thursday night with heavy weapons, rocket launchers and grenades.

The BLA gave higher figures of 30 dead and 18 injured. It also said Pakistani security personnel were disguised as workers, without giving evidence, and threatened more assaults unless the military withdrew from the province.

Balochistan is home to several groups that demand independence from the federal government, accusing it of exploiting the oil- and mineral-rich province at the expense of local people.