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23 killed in sectarian clashes in Pakistan's tribal area

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-08-17 14:26

ISLAMABAD -- At least 23 people were killed and 25 others were injured in fresh sectarian clashes at the Kurrum tribal agency in Pakistan's northwest, the state-run PTV reported Sunday.

The death toll from the 11-day fighting has reached 194 and the injured are at 286, it said.

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The violence in Kurrum escalated late Saturday night, as tribesmen set fire on over two dozen empty houses in a village in Lower Kurrum.

The clashes, in which both sides are using heavy weapons, have forced hundreds of families to flee to other areas.

The PTV said that the warring tribes had ignored the government ' s ultimatum to halt fighting.