PESHAWAR, Pakistan — A Pakistani government team mediated a seven-day ceasefire deal between rival sectarian groups on Sunday, halting days of clashes that have killed at least 68 people and injured dozens in the northwest of the country, one of the mediators said.
The violence began when gunmen attacked convoys of civilian vehicles on Thursday, killing at least 40 people, mostly Shiite Muslims.
That brought retaliatory attacks against Sunni Muslim residents, and there have been pitched battles between armed groups from both sides.
Armed Shiite and Sunni Muslims have engaged in tribal and sectarian rivalry for decades over a land dispute in Kurram district near the Afghanistan border.
Saif said news of the ceasefire should also halt smaller skirmishes that had been reported in remote areas of the district.
Persons:
” Muhammad Ali Saif, Saif, Akhtar Hayat Gandapur
Organizations:
Reuters
Locations:
PESHAWAR, Pakistan, Kurram, Afghanistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Parachinar, Kurram’s