Pakistan launches security operation in the northwest after surge in violence and sectarian strife

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PARACHINAR, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistani security forces launched an operation targeting militants in a restive northwestern district bordering Afghanistan, officials said on Monday, following a surge in attacks and sectarian strife. It is the first large-scale operation in the area in recent years.

The latest attack in Kurram, in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, was on Friday when unidentified gunmen ambushed and burned aid trucks, killing two security personnel and at least five drivers.

The district has been cut off from the rest of the country since November after authorities blocked roads following clashes between heavily armed Shiite and Sunni tribes. At the time, gunmen ambushed a convoy of vehicles carrying passengers, killing 52 people, mostly Shiites. Retaliatory attacks left over 70 others dead.

Hundreds of thousands of residents have since faced a shortage of food and medicine with aid organizations unable to enter the area.

Barrister Saif Ali, a spokesman for the provincial government, said the operation became “inevitable” following the surge in violence. He also said authorities are moving some residents to temporary governmental shelter camps while the operation is ongoing in several areas, including the city of Bagan from where most of the violence has been reported.

Motasim Billah, a government administrator, said the goal of the operation is to fully restore peace and ensure the writ of the government.

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, with militant Sunni groups previously targeting minority Shiites.

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Associated Press writer Riaz Khan in Peshawar, Pakistan contributed to this report.