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Gunmen ambush vehicle convoy in Pakistan, killing dozens
Nov. 22 (UPI) — Gunmen ambushed a convoy of passenger vehicles traveling in remote northern Pakistan, killing dozens of people, authorities said.
The gunmen had been hiding in the mountains of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province’s Kurram district and fired on the convoy of some 200 passenger vehicles, local The Nation reported, citing police and local officials.
At least 42 people, including six women, were killed in the attack, according to police. Another 20 passengers were injured.
The attack has been condemned by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari.
Sharif directed authorities to identify the attackers and bring them to justice, according to a statement from his office that was carried by Pakistan’s PTV News.
He described the assault as “sheer brutality.”
“All attempts of anti-national elements to destroy the peace of the beloved country will be thwarted,” he said.
The attack occurred amid a series of sectarian clashes in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Last month, 15 people were killed, including two men and a child, clashes between two groups in the province.
No group has immediately taken responsibility for the Thursday attack.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan condemned the violence and called on the government to take action to prevent further deaths.
“The frequency of such incidents confirm the failure of the federal and provincial governments to protect the security of ordinary citizens,” it said in a statement.
“We demand immediate and decisive steps from both governments to permanently break this cycle of violence.”
(UPI)