Pakistan: Dozens killed in sectarian violence

More than 30 people have died in clashes between militant Sunni and Shiite groups in northwestern Pakistan, police say. Scores have been killed in such sectarian violence in the past few months.

Armed Sunni and Shiite groups clashed in the northwestern Pakistani district of Kurram overnight into Saturday, with at least 32 people killed and 25 others injured in the fighting, a senior police officer said.

Pakistan has a history of sectarian tensions between the Shiite minority and the Sunni majority.

Kurram, located in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders Afghanistan, is known as a hot spot for such violence. Dozens from both communites have been killed there since July in a dispute over land that mutated into general hostilities.

What happened in the fighting?

The violence commenced as armed men set fire to shops, homes and government facilities in the towns of Bagan and Bacha Kot, the police officer said, who spoke on terms of anonymity as he had not received permission to speak to the press.

He said the Alizai and Bagan tribes were trading gunfire in the Lower Kurram area.

"Educational institutions in Kurram are closed due to the severe tension. Both sides are targeting each other with heavy and automatic weapons," said the officer.

The violence comes days after 42 people were killed when gunmen targeted vehicles carrying mainly Shiite Muslims on a key highway.

Nobody has claimed responsibility for the attack.

tj/sms (Reuters, AP, AFP)