International
Armed clashes in northwestern Pakistan leave at least 35 dead and 50 injured

Armed clashes between Sunni and Shii groups in the Kurram tribal district, in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), in northwestern Pakistan, left at least 35 dead and 50 injured, the police confirmed to EFE on Saturday.
The violence that broke out last night comes two days after an ambush by an unidentified armed group to a passenger convoy in this same district, which killed 42 people, most of them Shiites, when they were traveling on a road escorted by security forces.
“Armed Shiites attacked Sunni houses and shops in the towns of Bagan and Bacha Kot, in which 35 people on both sides died and more than 50 were injured,” Mujahid Ullah, a Kurram police control officer, told EFE.
In the attack, “1,036 houses and 315 stores, mostly Sunnis, have been set on fire since the assault began around 6:00 p.m.” on Friday, he added.
Sectarian violence
Pakistan has a history of sectarian violence, but the latest clashes are claiming the highest number of victims in recent years. The Shiite Muslim minority represents about 15% of Pakistan’s 240 million inhabitants, a Sunni majority.
“In this situation it is difficult for the police to arrest someone involved in the violence,” said today the police officer who estimates that the death toll could increase, since shootings continue in some areas.
Verified images shared on social media show markets, houses and government buildings destroyed by fire.
The attack is apparently a reaction to the one recorded on Thursday to passenger vans that resulted in 42 deaths, including women and children.
The Thall-Sada-Parachinar highway, where Thursday’s ambush took place, has remained closed as authorities struggle to reinforce an unstable peace. Both sides attack each other with heavy and automatic weapons.
“The elderly and government officials have gathered at Kurram’s headquarters, to calm the situation,” Ullah revealed, adding that educational institutions in the district are closed due to growing tension.
No Internet or telephony
Internet and mobile phone services are also suspended throughout the district.
The Kurram district of KP is located on the border with Afghanistan, where a major land dispute that began in 2007 continued for several years and ended in 2011 with the help of a jirga of tribal elders.
According to the KP Department of the Interior, there are land disputes in eight places in the district that date back to the partition of Pakistan and India in 1947. Land disputes often turn into deadly sectarian violence.
International
Armed forces target illegal mines in Northern Ecuador with bombing raids

Ecuador’s Armed Forces carried out an operation on Monday — including airstrikes — against illegal mining in the town of Buenos Aires, in the country’s north, Defense Minister Gian Carlo Loffredo reported.
The mountainous, gold-rich area has been a hotspot for illegal mining since 2017, located in the Andean province of Imbabura.
In 2019, former president Lenín Moreno deployed around 2,400 soldiers to the region in an attempt to curb the illegal activity. “The operation began with mortar fire, followed by gunfire and bombing runs by Supertucano aircraft,” Loffredo said in a video released by the Defense Ministry.
He added that the operation would continue on Tuesday with patrols across the area to locate possible members of “irregular armed groups that may have crossed from the Colombian border.”
The Armed Forces stated on X that the intervention focused on the “complete elimination of multiple illegal mining tunnels” in the areas known as Mina Nueva and Mina Vieja.
The operation coincided with the deployment of a military and police convoy into Imbabura, which has been the epicenter of protests against President Daniel Noboa since September 22, following his decision to scrap the diesel subsidy.
International
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“It is regrettable,” a ministry spokesperson said. “Despite our differences on several issues, Norway wishes to keep the dialogue with Venezuela open and will continue to work in that direction.” The ministry also emphasized that the Nobel Committee operates entirely independently from the Norwegian government.
In its announcement, the Nobel Committee stated that Machado met the criteria established by Alfred Nobel, “embodying the hope for a different future, where the fundamental rights of Venezuelans are heard.”
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