Kurram Agency War April 2007

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Please improve this article if you can. (August 2007)

This incident erupted on Friday 6 April 2007. The conflict is said^[who?] to be on a procession in Parachinar city. This incident is said^[who?] to have left more than 40 people dead and more than 150 people wounded by 9 April 2007. The clashes are still continuing.

Tension had been brewing in the area adjacent to the Afghan border since last Sunday (April 1) when a sectarian group (Ahl-e-Sunnat Wal Jamaat), taking part in the Eid Miladun Nabi procession chanted objectionable slogans. ^[1] The administration had arrested some 30 participants of the Eid Milad procession for raising the objectionable slogans and assured the rival sect of further action against elements who had raised the slogans.

^[2]

1 April 6th
2 April 7th
3 April 8th
4 April 9, 2007
5 April 10, 2007
6 April 11, 2007
7 April 12, 2007
8 April 13, 2007
9 Public opinion and Role of media
10 Recent Developments in From November 2007 To January 2008
11 References

[edit] April 6th

On Friday 6 April a gunmen fired on a procession held by shia's in Parachinar.^[3]
An ambulance was also attacked in the city in which three people, including the organiser of the Haideri Blood Bank, Inayat Hussain, were wounded.^[4]
The political administration of the Kurram Agency imposed curfew and additional army troops called out to stop acts of lawlessness in the area.
A jirga of elders was being convened to broker a ceasefire between the two groups.
Hospital sources said that three bodies and 18 wounded people had been brought to the agency headquarters hospital.
Locals said the number of casualties might increase as both sides were using heavy weapons.

[edit] April 7th

The army took control of Parachinar on Saturday after overnight heavy gun battles between two sectarian groups. Fierce clashes continued in other parts of the Kurram Agency.^[5]
Cobra helicopters targeted suspected locations in and around the town to dislodge combatants from their positions. The army and paramilitary forces, backed by armoured personnel carriers, entered the Parachinar town and secured positions at around 11am.^[6]
Fata’s secretary for security Arbab Mohammad Arif told reporters in Peshawar that 40 people had been killed and 70 wounded in the two days of fighting.
Officials claim the curfew imposed in the area was effective and the city had been sealed completely and troops were issued a ‘shoot at sight order’ if any person was found violating the curfew.^[7]
Hospital sources said 15 bodies had been counted so far and 62 injured had been taken to the city’s main hospital and private clinics.
An official source said three government employees were among the dead.^[8]

[edit] April 8th

Despite the presence of a large number of regular and paratroops, clashes between rival groups intensified in the Kurram Agency on Sunday.
15 more people dead and scores of others wounded amid reports that the rival groups in certain areas had intensified attacks on each other’s positions. One woman was among the dead.
The road between Parachinar and Thall remained closed and wounded people could not be taken to Peshawar.
Doctors said that local hospitals lacked adequate medical and surgical facilities.
Four people were killed in Piwar and three in Kirman village. A mortar shell hit a house in Alamsher village, killing one Amin Hussain.
Six people were killed in Sadda town.
Two were killed while loading a mortar gun.
Fierce clashes continued in Tari Mingal-Piwaar, Malikhel-Boshara, Parachamkani-Kirman and Ibrahimzai-Sadda areas and heavy weapons were used.
A heavy exchange of fire was reported from Boshera, 5km south of Parachinar.
The main grid station supplying electricity to Sadda came under attack and power supply to the area was suspended.
Official sources claimed that 25 people had died in the past three days and 140 had suffered injuries, with many of them said to be in critical condition in hospitals.
Two of the injured died in a hospital in Parachinar and three in Sadda hospital.
The sources said 110 wounded people had been taken to hospitals in Parachinar and 30 to the hospital in Sadda.
Political Agent Sahibzada Mohammad Anis said 15 people had died and 40 others wounded.
Administration is considering using Cobra helicopters to dislodge armed groups from different locations. The administration has persuaded the area MNAs, senators and Maliks to use their influence to broker a truce.^[9]^[10]
AFP adds: “We have started negotiations with tribal elders to end the fighting,” Sahibzada Anis said, adding that troops could be used in some outlying areas if needed.^[11]

[edit] April 9, 2007

A security personnel was killed and several others injured when a mortar shell hit their headquarter.^[12]

The security forces have warned to take action if the rival factions did not stop fighting.
Residents said some people had opened fire in Dandar localities of the city on Sunday night, but no casualty was reported. A large area of the agency is without electricity.^[13]
Peshawar Corps Commander Lt-Gen Hamid Khan promised security to the residents of Kurram Agency during a visit to the area.^[14]
According to some local sources at first the armed forces didn't enter the city to let the Wahabis kill freely the Shia's but when they saw that their friends were losing the game they entered in the city of Parachinar and burnt the markets owned by Shia's.^[15].The wahabi terrorist linking with Al-Qaeda have been transferred from Waziristan to fight with Shia's with the help of Pakistani Government.

[edit] April 10, 2007

Despite the presence of security forces, heavy fighting between rival groups in different areas of the Kurram Agency continued for the fifth consecutive day on Tuesday April 10.^[16]There is no respite in clashes and residential areas are being targeted with rockets and light cannons, forcing people to evacuate women and children to safe places. The region was without electricity after the main transmission line was attacked near Alizai in the Lower Kurram Agency. According to sources, death toll had risen to 50 and hospitals in Parachinar, Sadda and Alizai had received 260 wounded. Doctors said that 173 wounded had been shifted to hospitals in Parachinar and about 65 to the Sadda hospital.
The official death toll from the clashes since April 6 has reached 25, while the unofficial toll is as high as 80. The political administration is using the traditional jirga system to broker a ceasefire. The jirgas are showing results at some places only.^[17]
Fresh army troops and paramilitary soldiers were seen heading towards the main bazaar as violence continued in surrounding areas of Parachinar, witnesses told Daily Times.
A doctor who was given permission to go out in the curfew said that private property has been badly damaged in Parachinar bazaar. “Shops have been burnt and no one knows which side has suffered most. Both sects have tried to inflict maximum damage on the other,” said the doctor, asking not to be named.^[18]

Sources say that government is falsely claiming the ceasefire in various areas.^[19] and government law enforcement agencies found attacking Shia civilians as tated that a woman transferring her son wounded to Hospital was shot dead along with her son.
Central leaders of the ISO Shafiq Bangash, Sajid Hussain and others alleged that 10 helicopter gunships were firing at local population and people in uniforms of FC were killing innocent people in different parts of Parachinar.^[20]
People here say that city is running out of food.^[21]

[edit] April 11, 2007

Government sources claim that a cease fire has taken place in Sadda while Parachinar is still under curfew.^[22]
The reporter of site Shia News has reported that on tuseday 10 April in night 15 persons of Al-Qaeda were killed in the area of BalashKhel. They were wearing the Pakistana Armed Force's uniform. The were trying to enter the town, but were killed by the firing from Shias of Balashkhel, and after the death they were recognised.^[23]Now Local People have questions in mind.

what these Al-Qaeda elements were doing there? Who braught them there? Who gave them the uniform?

War is continued in Parachinar in which 60 Shia Muslims have bee martyred and 220 are injured.
On Wednesday, April 12, Taliban launched the attack across the border at the town Jalmey in which 12 Shia Muslims were martyred and 22 were injured. Attackers were wearing uniform of Pakistani Militia and they the whole village completely. Earlier they had attacked Char Diwar and left 30 of them dead behind them.^[24]
In this attack the president of Islamic Education Trust Taibullah Turi, the grandson of Haji Ali Akbar and a woman Gulab Nisa were among the 12 martyres.
In Last 24 hours the persons who were martyred included Rasheed Khan, Kifayat Hussain, Syed Shahid Hussain Hamid Hussain, Syed Abdullah, Laeeq Hussain, Nasir Hussain, Mazhar Hussain, Hameed Hussain, Manzoor Hussain, Hadi, Najmul Hassan and Jameel Hussain.
A missile attack was launched from bordering Afghan area Paktia by Taliban. The target was Bourki town inhabited by Shias. Ten 10 rockets to have dropped in there. In this attack 3 persons were wounded.^[25]^[26]

[edit] April 12, 2007

A huge terrorist brigade consisting 15,000 terrorists attacked two villages of Alizai area on late Wednesday night. In this attackk 25 persons were killed while dozens of houses were set on fire. Until the last reports 10 corpses had been transferred to hospital. No of injured persons id said to be 30.^[27]
The towns of Shilozan, Jalmey, and Piwaar are still facing war while all other parts of valley are reported to becoming calm.^[28]
The number of killed people after the incident of Alizai have now reached 85.^[29]

[edit] April 13, 2007

Curfew was loosened for two hours on Friday 13, April 2007 from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM, in the city of Parachinar.^[30] An eyewitness told the BBC correspondent on telephone that security forces are collecting the shells of mortar, missile and rocket which did not blast due to any reason.

[edit] Public opinion and Role of media

A famous Pakistani politician and former cricketer Imran Khan also the chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has named this war as American agenda for preparation of attack on Iran.^[31] It looks that it is a test case like Lebanon-Israel war.

[edit] Recent Developments in From November 2007 To January 2008

The areas mostly affected from current war include Khalachi, Ziran, Balash Khel, Mali Khel, Kirman, Piwaar, Alizai, Ibrahim Zai, Lukman Khel, Banood, Kunj Ali Zai, Shingak, Ugra, Bourki, Badama and several others.

The local Taliban from adjucent Agency North waziristan are freely entering the valley of Kurram and they are setting fire on the SHIA MUSLIMS Houses... Accourding to one of Taliban who is highly educated person That the only thing which can take a Muslim to heaven in 70 second is Succide attack... He told that Americans, Shia, Pakistan armed forces and the people of Pakistan who are working for America or not obeying the order and way of Taliban deserve to be killed. The governemnet of Pakistan is just watching the situation because they are now helpless as till now more than 2000 army and Fc personalls are killed by Taliban in succide attacks. All Muslims of the world and other religions need to think seriously about the existence of Taliban.