Gunmen open fire on passenger vehicles in Pakistan killing 38

Convoy attacked by a group hiding in surrounding hills in a remote area with a woman and child among the dead

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A woman and a child were among 38 people killed after gunmen opened fire on 200 passenger vehicles travelling through a remote area of Pakistan.
The convoy was attacked by a group of gunmen hiding in surrounding hills as it made its way through the tribal district of Kurram, authorities said.
Officials believe the gunmen targeted the convoy’s police escort, which had been put in place following months of sectarian violence in the area.
“This past week has been difficult and upsetting, now 38 people have been martyred in Kurram,” Mohsin Naqvi, Pakistan’s interior minister, told journalists on Thursday. “We see a new incident every day now.”
Eleven people, including three women, injured in the attack were rushed to nearby hospitals. Officials fear the death toll will rise as several people are in critical condition.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Shortly after the gunmen opened fire, the regional government launched a search operation and sent additional police officers to the Ochut area.
Details of the attack were not made immediately clear but Javed ullah Mehsud, a senior administration official, said around 10 attackers were involved, “firing indiscriminately from both sides of the road”.
Women and children fled the scene, hiding in nearby houses as police launched a hunt for the attackers.
Asif Ali Zardari, Pakistan’s president, said the attack on “innocent passengers” was a “cowardly and inhumane act” and demanded that those responsible for the incident be punished.
Shehbaz Sharif, the country’s prime minister, also condemned the attack, which he said was carried out by “enemies of the peace” and “tantamount to brutality”.
“All attempts of anti-national elements to destroy the peace of the beloved country will be thwarted,” Mr Sharif said, adding that those involved in the incident will be identified and punished accordingly.
“Saboteurs cannot demoralise the brave Pakistani nation by such cowardly actions.”
The latest incident follows a sharp increase in the number of terrorist attacks in the Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces of Pakistan.