Pakistan struggles to restore peace in tribal region on Afghan border

IslamabadcTypeface:> The Pakistani authorities delivered the first batch of relief goods, including medicines, to a town near the Afghan border where more than half a million people remain under siege following sectarian clashes, officials and locals said on Thursday. A 35-truck convoy reached the Kurram district in north-western Pakistan after the warring tribes agreed to open the road that remained closed for more than three months, Irshad Khan, a local government official, said. More than 130 people have been killed so far in the clashes since gunmen opened fire on a convey of pilgrims in November. Kurram is a sensitive tribal district that borders Afghanistan and was once a stronghold of the Taliban. (DPA)