Kurram clashes: How a Pakistani land dispute led to a deadly tribal battle

At least 46 people were killed and 200 injured in clashes until a temporary ceasefire was agreed upon on Wednesday.

Islamabad, Pakistan – After weeklong clashes between rival tribes in Pakistan’s district of Kurram, killing at least 46 people and injuring nearly 200, fighting has now halted, following a meeting between authorities and tribal elders.

A grand jirga, or a gathering of tribal elders, along with civilian and security officials, met in Parachinar, the main city in Kurram district. They held an hours-long meeting on Wednesday, after which a ceasefire was agreed upon by all stakeholders – until October 5.

Javedullah Mehsud, the deputy commissioner of Kurram, said there had been no casualties since then and that the government was confident of reaching a resolution to end the conflict.

“This is unfortunately an ongoing land dispute in the area that has led to fighting in the past as well, but we are confident that we can put an end to it this time,” Mehsud told Al Jazeera.

So where is Kurram, what happened there, how did things escalate and what’s next?

Kurram, a mountainous area that shares a long border with Afghanistan in the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, is home to about 700,000 people, of which more than 42 percent belong to the Shia community.

It is closer to Afghanistan’s capital Kabul than any major city in Pakistan but also borders Afghanistan’s Khost, Paktia, Logar and Nangarhar provinces, which are considered havens for anti-Shia armed groups such as ISIL (ISIS) and the Pakistan Taliban (TTP).

The area has a history of sectarian conflict between the Shia and the Sunni majority groups and has also faced militancy during the past decade, with frequent attacks by TTP and other armed