7 teachers among 8 killed in firing incidents in KP’s Kurram: hospital official

At least eight people, including seven teachers, have been killed in separate incidents of firing in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Kurram district on Thursday, district headquarters hospital deputy medical superintendent Qaisar Abbas said.

Qaisar told Dawn.com that the first incident of firing took place at Shalozan Road, in which one person was killed.

Shortly after, seven teachers were killed in another firing incident at a school, which a Dawn.com correspondent present in the area said was at a distance of six kilometres from Shalozan Road.

Police have not issued a statement on the matter yet.

Dawn.com has reached out to police for a comment.

Rising terrorism

In recent months, Pakistan has been hit by a wave of terrorism, mostly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, since the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) ended its ceasefire with the government in November.

According to a report, January 2023 was the deadliest month since 2018, in which 134 people lost their lives — a 139 per cent spike — and 254 received injuries in at least 44 militant attacks across the country.

Most recently, militants targeted security forces in three overnight attacks in the Lakki Marwat district, triggering shoot-outs in which three soldiers were martyred and seven militants were killed.

The bloodshed came days after the military declared a new offensive against militants amid a resurgence of attacks in recent months, including a Peshawar mosque bombing that killed scores of 100 people in February.

This is a developing story that is being updated as the situation evolves. Initial reports in the media can sometimes be inaccurate. We will strive to ensure timeliness and accuracy by relying on credible sources such as concerned, qualified authorities and our staff reporters.