KOHAT: A violent fight between two tribes on Monday left 14 people dead, including a police officer, and 12 wounded in the Darra Adam Khel area of Kohat district.
Details
The two tribes have been battling over a four-mile length of coal mountain populated by Akhorwals.
Eleven of those killed belonged to the Sunny Khel tribe, while three were from the Akhorwal tribe. The Sunny Khel tribe was represented by all 12 injured.
At 5 p.m., competing tribesmen entrenched in the mountains assaulted the opposing side with heavy weapons. The army came there to end the rampage and force the tribesmen back down from the mountains.
About the Registration of the case
Authorities have yet to file a case. Azam Khan, a Darra Adam Khel administration officer, stated that the FIR was not filed because tribes do not acknowledge the law and prefer to settle conflicts through a jirga.
Since 2019, the Sunny Khel and Akhorwal tribes have been at odds over the encroachment of coal mines, and the current confrontations are a continuance of the conflict.
The district official explained the case
Mr Khan, the district commissioner, stated that the Akhorwal tribesmen refused to acknowledge the delineation by their forefathers and considered the new forced employment valid, refusing to relinquish the occupied area.
Previously, a shooting occurred in February, prompting the elders to establish a buffer site to prevent violence. However, fighting began on May 12 when the Akhorwal clan violated the buffer zone, according to Mr Khan.
Some tribesmen on both sides attempting to reach an agreement criticized the administration’s weakness and inability to end the violent rivalry.
According to a tehsildar, Muslim Afridi, the army has summoned elders from both sides to settle the dispute while talks brokered by Kohat police and the Darra Adam Khel assistant commissioner are taking place behind closed doors.
