Landmine blast kills 4 people, wounds some others in restive northwest Pakistan
PESHAWAR, Pakistan, June 25, (AP): A landmine explosion killed four people and wounded a number of other in northwest Pakistan's restive Kurram district on Wednesday, police said. The blast occurred when one of the victims stepped on the device in a forested area in Kurram, where sectarian clashes between Shiites and Sunnis Muslims left 130 people dead last year.
Habibullah Khan, the district police officer, said the dead and an a number wounded were transported to a hospital in Kurram, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province that borders Afghanistan. He did not say how many people had been wounded. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the blast and Khan said they are investigating the incident in Kurram, which has a history of sectarian conflict with militant Sunni groups previously targeting minority Shiites.
A ceasefire brokered by local elders has largely held between Sunni and Shiite tribes in Kurram since January. Although sporadic gun attacks between the two sides are not uncommon in the region, landmine blasts are rare. Shiite Muslims dominate parts of Kurram, although they are a minority in the rest of Pakistan, which is majority Sunni. The area has a history of sectarian conflict.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arab Times
16 hours ago
- Arab Times
Iran executes 3 more prisoners it accused of spying for Israel
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, June 25, (AP): Iran executed three more prisoners Wednesday over allegedly spying for Israel, its state-run IRNA news agency reported, the latest hangings connected to its war with Israel. The hangings happened in Urmia Prison in Iran's West Azerbaijan province, which is the country's most northwest province. IRNA cited Iran's judiciary for the news, saying the men had been accused of bringing "assassination equipment' into the country. Iran has carried out several hangings during its war with Israel, sparking fears from activists that it could conduct a wave of executions after the conflict ended. Iran identified the three men executed as Azad Shojaei, Edris Aali and Iraqi national Rasoul Ahmad Rasoul. Amnesty International had previously raised concerns that the men could be executed. Wednesday's execution bring the total number of hangings for espionage around the war up to six since June 16. Activists fear more people will be executed, particularly after Iran's theocracy issued a Sunday deadline for people to turn themselves in over spying. In Israel, at least 28 people have been killed and more than 1,000 wounded in the war. Hundreds have died throughout the war in Iran, according to both the government - which has provided sporadic casualty figures throughout the war - and the Washington-based group Human Rights Activists. Iran's government on Tuesday put the death toll at 606 people killed, with 5,332 others being injured. Human Rights Activists released figures Wednesday showing Israeli strikes on Iran have killed at least 1,054 people and wounded 4,476 others. The group, which has provided detailed casualty figures from multiple rounds of unrest in Iran, said of those killed, it identified 417 civilians and 318 security force personnel. People in Iran, meanwhile, began trying to return to their normal lives as a shaky ceasefire with Israel, negotiated by President Donald Trump, appeared to be holding. State media described heavy traffic around the Caspian Sea area and other rural areas outside of the capital, Tehran, as people began returning to the city. Tehran experienced intense Israeli airstrikes throughout the war, including those that targeted Iran's top military leadership and other sites associated with its ruling theocracy.
Arab Times
16 hours ago
- Arab Times
Mexican police in Chiapas unveil armed drones to combat cartels
TAPACHULA, Mexico, June 25, (AP): Police in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas unveiled a fleet of armed drones Tuesday that they say will better position them against the heavily armed drug cartels vying for control of their border with Guatemala. Frequently outgunned by cartels with heavy guns and increasingly with drones that drop improvised explosive devices, Mexican authorities are trying to catch up. Concerningly, the same Chiapas state police force generated an international diplomatic incident earlier this month when they pursued alleged gunmen into neighboring Guatemala, engaging in an extended shootout in the streets of border town La Mesilla. The drones could be equipped to carry guns or to fight fires, said Chiapas Security Secretary Óscar Aparicio Avendaño. He did not explain what the rules of engagement would be for police using an armed drone. A photo shared by authorities of a demonstration showed a drone with a semiautomatic rifle mounted below it. In other states like Michoacan, police have begun experimenting with ways of combatting cartel drones that drop explosives. They try to jam signals or fire nets to drop them from the sky. Chiapas has struggled in the past couple years with competition between Mexico's two most powerful cartels, Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation, as they fight for control of lucrative smuggling routes along the Guatemalan border for drugs, migrants and guns. The state has seen mass displacements of people, including hundreds who fled into Guatemala to escape cartel violence last year. The new state government's answer has been strengthening the police force to be more involved in security responsibilities previously handed to the military. But recently, a member of the state police special forces, known as the Pakals, turned whistleblower, saying that other members of the force were corrupt and working with organized crime. A commander was fired and an investigation is ongoing. Human rights groups have questioned the bolstering of the state police, saying that the success authorities claim could really be the result of militarization of the region rather than any dismantling of drug cartels.
Arab Times
16 hours ago
- Arab Times
Landmine blast kills 4 people, wounds some others in restive northwest Pakistan
PESHAWAR, Pakistan, June 25, (AP): A landmine explosion killed four people and wounded a number of other in northwest Pakistan's restive Kurram district on Wednesday, police said. The blast occurred when one of the victims stepped on the device in a forested area in Kurram, where sectarian clashes between Shiites and Sunnis Muslims left 130 people dead last year. Habibullah Khan, the district police officer, said the dead and an a number wounded were transported to a hospital in Kurram, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province that borders Afghanistan. He did not say how many people had been wounded. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the blast and Khan said they are investigating the incident in Kurram, which has a history of sectarian conflict with militant Sunni groups previously targeting minority Shiites. A ceasefire brokered by local elders has largely held between Sunni and Shiite tribes in Kurram since January. Although sporadic gun attacks between the two sides are not uncommon in the region, landmine blasts are rare. Shiite Muslims dominate parts of Kurram, although they are a minority in the rest of Pakistan, which is majority Sunni. The area has a history of sectarian conflict.
