Pakistani air ambulance delivers medicines to violence-hit district as roads remain closed
A Pakistani charity has used an air ambulance to deliver medicines to a northwestern region where a doctor said 29 children had died in the past two months
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A Pakistani charity used an air ambulance on Tuesday to deliver medicines to a northwestern region where a doctor said 29 children had died in the past two months because life-saving supplies couldn't get through roadblocks following sectarian clashes.
Air ambulances are rarely used in Pakistan but the violence in Kurram district has led to road closures and the deaths of at least 130 people.
The air ambulance will also transport critically ill patients from Kurram to Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, a spokesman for the Edhi Foundation, Gul Sher Khan, told The Associated Press by phone.
Shortage of food and medicines has persisted in Kurram since October, when armed clashes erupted there between Shiite and Sunni Muslims. The clashes, which started as a land dispute months ago, turned into sectarian violence in November, leaving 130 people dead before authorities brokered a ceasefire.
Though the ceasefire has been holding, the roads haven't reopened yet.
Javed Ullah Mehsud, the deputy commissioner of Kurram, said that elders from rival Shiites and Sunni tribes were in talks for a permanent ceasefire so that thousands of people who have been stranded could travel to other parts of the country.
In November, 52 Shiites, including women and children, were killed after unidentified gunmen attacked a convoy of vehicles Though nobody at the time claimed responsibility, some Shiites, after burying the victims, launched attacks on Sunni Muslims. At least 78 people were killed in the ensuing clashes. Since then, key roads leading to Kurram have been closed by the government for security reasons.
Mir Hassan Jan, a doctor at a government hospital in Kurram, said 29 children died in the past two months due to the shortage of life-saving medicines. “Hundreds of more patients are at risk as we need uninterrupted supply of medicines in this remote area where snowfall also blocks roads in winter,” he said.
Shiite Muslims make up about 15% of the 240 million people in Sunni-majority Pakistan, which has a history of sectarian animosity between the communities. Shiites dominate parts of the Kurram district.