At least six people were killed and several others wounded when more than 20 armed militants ambushed a supply convoy in a conflict-ridden area of Pakistan, officials confirmed on Wednesday.
The convoy, carrying food supplies, was en route to Parachinar, a town in the Kurram district near the Afghan border that has witnessed sectarian violence for decades.
The attack left a truck driver dead and injured seven others, while reinforcements from paramilitary forces fell into an ambush, resulting in the deaths of five soldiers.
"The attackers also torched three vehicles belonging to the Frontier Corps," a police officer, speaking anonymously, told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
A total of 15 people, including a woman in the vicinity, were wounded in the assault.
Following the attack, military helicopters launched airstrikes targeting militant hideouts in the surrounding mountains.
Despite multiple ceasefires brokered by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial government and tribal leaders, violence has persisted, leading to repeated road closures in an effort to contain the unrest.
The most recent peace agreement, reached on January 1, was swiftly broken when another aid convoy was targeted days later, injuring local officials and their security personnel.
In response, a high-level government meeting, chaired by the province's chief minister, has ordered a renewed military operation in Lower Kurram, where ambushes and clashes have become increasingly frequent.
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