Sectarian clashes in Pak tribal area; 20 killed

Parachinar, Pakistan, Nov 17: At least 20 people were killed and nearly 100 wounded in sectarian clashes between Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims in a Pakistani tribal region near the Afghan border, officials said today.

The clashes broke out yesterday 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.

Officials in the semi-autonomous triabl region said at least 20 died in the clashes and said curfew had been imposed in parts of the town.

''Seven dead have been brought to the hospital since yesterday while another 91 are being treated for multiple wounds,'' said Mohammad Hamid, an official at the region's main hospital.

Most of the ethnic Pashtun tribesmen in Kurram are Shia, although most Pashtuns are Sunni.

Reuters>