At least 42 killed in sectarian violence in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Gunmen open fire on buses carrying Shia pilgrims in Kurram, where clashes with Sunnis have escalated in recent months.

Gunmen have opened fire on convoys of Shia pilgrims in northwestern Pakistan, killing at least 42 people, according to authorities in the restive province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Women and children were among the fatalities in the attacks in the Kurram tribal district on Thursday, police said on Friday.

Sectarian violence has escalated since July in Kurram, a region bordering Afghanistan, between Shia and Sunni tribes over land disputes.

Gunmen opened fire on two separate convoys of Shia pilgrims travelling with police escorts in Kurram. No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks.

Javedullah Mehsud, the deputy commissioner of Kurram, said the attacks took place when the convoys were on their way from the district headquarters of Parachinar to Peshawar.