PARACHINAR, April 5: Clashes broke out between rival factions in the restive Kurram tribal region after some assailants ambushed a convoy of passengers near Khar Kali on Saturday, witnesses and officials said.

The ambush left two people dead and 21 others injured, including three officials of the National Bank of Pakistan.

They said the passenger convoy, escorted by security forces, was on way to Peshawar from Parachinar when assailants first set off a remote-controlled bomb and then opened indiscriminate fire from different directions, killing coach driver Ghulam Hassan and passenger Hilal Hussain besides injuring 21 others.

Paramilitary forces returned fire, killing one attacker on the spot who was later identified by the local people as Zarim.

This was the third attack on travellers in the Lower Kurram region over the past one month.

The main highway between Thall and Parachinar has been blocked for the past three weeks and the entire region has been without electricity for the last one month, causing acute shortage of drinking water.

Local people said that continuous closure of the main highway had caused scarcity of food items in the area.

The ambush sparked clashes in the area and members of rival groups in Balishkhel and Sadda areas started attacking each other’s positions.

The clashes erupted in the region at a time when a 16-member jirga was in Parachinar to negotiate a peace deal between rival factions. Armed supporters of both factions were taking positions on hilltops across the Kurram region bordering Afghanistan and clashes were continuing till filing of this report.