Land mine blast kills 4 people in northwestern Pakistan

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PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — A land mine explosion killed four people and wounded several others in northwest Pakistan’s Kurram district on Wednesday, police said.

The blast occurred when one of the victims stepped on the device in a forested area in Kurram, where sectarian clashes between Shiites and Sunnis Muslims left 130 people dead last year.

Habibullah Khan, the district police officer, said the dead and wounded were transported to a hospital in Kurram, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province that borders Afghanistan. He did not say how many people had been wounded.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the blast. Kurram has a history of sectarian conflict with militant Sunni groups previously targeting minority Shiites.

A ceasefire brokered by local elders has largely held between Sunni and Shiite tribes since January. Although sporadic gun attacks between the two sides are not uncommon in the region, land mine blasts are rare.

Meanwhile, authorities said they will deploy 10,000 security forces in the northwestern Kohat region — where Kurram district is located — ahead of the first Islamic month of Muharram, when Shiites rally across the country to commemorate the 7th century martyrdom of Prophet Muhammad’s grandson Hussein.

Pakistan will also step up security across the country following intelligence reports that militants could target Shiites during Muharram.

Shiite Muslims dominate parts of Kurram, although they are a minority in the rest of Pakistan, which is majority Sunni. The area has a history of sectarian conflict.