The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government said on Sunday that it had decided to launch an operation against miscreants in Lower Kurram. The decision comes after an attack on aid convoy heading towards Parachinar was attacked and looted, with multiple security officials and truck drivers losing their lives.

According to KP government Spokesman Barrister Saif, the decision to launch an operation was taken in a high-level meeting where IG police and heads of other security and civil institutions were in attendance.

The government has dubbed its response as a ‘sanitisation’ operation and said it is restricted to four village councils in Lower Kurram: Mandori, Baggan, Chapri and Paraw. A curfew has also been imposed in Kurram.

Saif said that the government has decided that it will side with those standing for peace in the region and a strong response would be given to those trying to challenge law and order.

He also added that there were a ‘few miscreants in the area and action against them has become unavoidable. He also said that the government feared that miscreants and infiltrated the ranks of peace-loving citizens in the area.

Regarding the operation, Saif said it would be undertaken by police and civil departments with support from security forces.

He said that the ordinary citizens will be ‘separated’ from the miscreants before the operation and alternative arrangements have been made to properly house and accommodate those who will be displaced.

The spokesman appealed to the people of Kurram to help identify miscreants and miscreants hiding within them to help the security forces. He also called upon the people to fully cooperate with the authority as miscreants had attacked and injured the district commissioner and looted aid convoys.

Saif added that the KP government had tried to restore peace to Kurram after three months of fighting through a Jirga in accordance with Pakhtoon traditions and was determined to protect the peace. He also claimed that the people of Kurram supported the Jirga agreement to want to abide by it.

The operation in Kurram comes after militants armed with rocket launchers ambushed an aid convoy heading from Thall to Parachinar, near Baggan.

The convoy was the third of its kind headed to Kurram and was made up of 35 trucks carrying food and other essential items including medicine. At least 19 trucks were burned and looted by the miscreants while others managed to escape.

The total death toll from the incident later reached nine. The death toll included two security officials while others were truck drivers.

The attack on the aid convoy was a severe blow to the peace effort in Kurram which has been at war and resultantly isolated from the rest of the country for over three months. The government had managed to broker the peace through a Jirga and had called upon tribal elders to help maintain it. However, the agreement was followed by an attack on Kurram’s district commissioner before the aid convoy was looted, showing that the peace remained fragile.