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South Waziristan Grenade Attack Wounds Seven


Local elders gathering in South Waziristan, November 16, 2021
Local elders gathering in South Waziristan, November 16, 2021

Seven people were reported wounded in a hand grenade attack near a gathering of local tribal elders in Pakistan's restive northwestern district of South Waziristan.

Local police chief Khanzeb Mohmand told RFE/RL that elders of the Ahmadzai Wazir tribe were holding a jirga in Wana area on November 16 when the attack occurred.

No one so far claimed responsibility and Mohmand said police were investigating.

Ayaz Wazir, a local elder, said the jirga had gathered to resolve a longstanding land dispute between two clans.

The elders included leaders of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) religious party. They were sitting at few meters distance from the gathering when someone threw a hand grenade at them.

In the neighboring North Waziristan tribal district, officials and locals said one person was killed and three wounded in three separate incidents the previous day.

Those wounded included two security personnel who were attacked by unidentified gunmen in Noorak area of Mir Ali.

Pakistani security forces carried out a massive military operation in the northwestern tribal areas in June 2014, and later claimed that militant groups have been eradicated from the region.

However, continued attacks by the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as the Pakistani Taliban, suggested the group had returned.

The TTP announced a monthlong cease-fire with the Pakistani government earlier this month.

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