Dozens killed as sectarian violence flares up in Pakistan’s Kurram

Renewed fighting between Sunni and Shia Muslim groups latest in a string of attacks to hit parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

At least 32 people have been killed and dozens wounded in renewed fighting between Sunni and Shia Muslim groups in northwestern Pakistan, officials say.

The violence overnight on Saturday was the latest to rock Kurram, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, just days after a deadly attack on a convoy in the same area killed dozens of people.

A senior administrative official said the death toll in the latest incident included 14 Sunni and 18 Shia Muslims. Another 47 were wounded, the official added.

A senior Pakistani police officer also confirmed Saturday’s fighting to The Associated Press news agency, putting the death toll at 33 and the injuries at 25.

The officer, who also spoke anonymously because he was not authorised to speak to the media, said armed men in Bagan and Bacha Kot torched shops, houses and government property.