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.
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