Death toll from sectarian violence in northwest Pakistan rises to 130

Violence has escalated in the region after gunmen opened fire on convoys carrying Shia pilgrims on November 21.

Sectarian violence continued in Pakistan’s northwest over the weekend, killing at least 14 people and wounding 27 in the past 24 hours in the Kurram district, located in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province near the border with Afghanistan.

This brings the death toll from fighting over the last 10 days to at least 130, with 200 people wounded, according to officials on Sunday.

Violence has escalated in the region since November 21, when gunmen opened fire on convoys carrying Shia pilgrims. The attack killed 52 people, including women and children.

No group has claimed responsibility for the assault.

Kurram is the only district in Pakistan where Shia make up the majority of the population, in contrast to the rest of the country, where Sunnis are the majority. Waves of violence have been unfolding since July, when tensions between Shia and Sunni tribes flared over a land dispute.