With the recovery of the bodies of four missing drivers on Friday, the death toll from the attack on an aid convoy in the Bagan area of ​​Kurram district rose to eight, including two security personnel, the Kurram district administration said.

It said more than 100 assailants attacked the convoy carrying relief supplies to Parachinar via Bagan on Thursday afternoon. The Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) of Kurram said the assailants fired rockets and used automatic weapons that damaged three vehicles.

After the attack, which lasted five hours, five drivers disappeared. Of those, four bodies had been found, while the whereabouts of one driver were still unknown. The bodies of the slain drivers were shifted to the Alizai Hospital in lower Kurram.

However, a local police officer, while speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, put the death toll from the attack at 10 – two security personnel, four drivers and four civilians. the officer said up to six drivers were kidnapped.

In the retaliatory firing by the security forces, the ADC said, the six attackers were killed. He added that the caravan of 35 vehicles – carrying relief supplies such as medicine, vegetables, fruits and other edible items – was escorted by police, FC and other security forces.

The latest violent incident created fear and uncertainty in the district. Following the incident, the process of dismantling the bunkers has been halted for the time being, while the delivery of essential items was suspended.

Meanwhile, the district administration had released the pictures of the assailants and the security forces launched an operation to nab them. Also, the funeral prayers of two martyred security personnel were offered in Thal Scouts after which the bodies were sent to their ancestral areas.

Kurram has been plagued by violence for decades, but around 150 people have been killed in a new round of fighting since November. A peace agreement was reached between the warring tribes a few days ago, but the recent attack called into question the agreement’s effectiveness.

(With INPUT FROM AFP)