Death toll in Pakistan Shia-Sunni clashes rises to 20

The death toll from sectarian clashes between two tribes in northwestern Pakistan has risen to 20, a local official said Wednesday, as a deadly feud entered its fifth day.

The dispute has injured 75 people in Kurram district near the border with Afghanistan, an area with a history of bloody clashes between Shia and Sunni tribes.

The last round of hostilities in July killed 35 people and ended only after a jirga, or tribal council, called a ceasefire. Officials are now attempting to broker a fresh truce.

"Dozens of homes have been damaged... all efforts by the government and other tribes to end the fighting have failed," a senior administrative official stationed in Kurram told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Heavy weapons including mortar shells are being used in the ongoing clash.

"One side is reportedly using Iranian-made weapons, though this will be investigated later," said Aftab Alam, the law minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Feuds can be particularly violent in the northwestern province, where clashes between tribes are common.

In Pakistan, a predominantly Sunni Muslim country, the Shiite community says they have long suffered discrimination and violence.