Sectarian clashes in Pakistani tribal area; 30 killed

Sectarian clashes in Pakistani tribal area; 30 killed
17 Nov 2007 13:41:00 GMT
Source: Reuters

(Updating death toll, fresh quotes)

PARACHINAR, Pakistan, Nov 17 (Reuters) - At
least 30 people have been killed and more than
100 wounded in sectarian clashes between Sunni
and Shi'ite Muslims in a Pakistani tribal region near
the Afghan border, officials said on Saturday.

The clashes broke out on Friday after firing by
unidentified men in Parachinar, the main town in
the Kurram tribal region, where about 40 people
were killed in an outbreak of sectarian violence
in April.

-snip-

Most of the ethnic Pashtun tribesmen in Kurram are
Shi'ite, although most Pashtuns are Sunni.

Pakistan has seen sectarian violence in major cities
and towns in recent years, although the majority of
Sunnis and Shi'ites live in peace. Shi'ites account
for about 15 percent of the country's 160 million
people. (Writing by Augustine Anthony)