TIRAH , Sep 22: At least 30 people, including women and children, were killed in airstrikes carried out by the Pakistan Air Force in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Tirah Valley on Monday, according to multiple reports.
Local media said the strikes took place around 2 am, when JF-17 fighter jets dropped eight LS-6 bombs on Matre Dara village, a Pashtun-majority area.
In a video statement, Iqbal Afridi, a Member of the National Assembly from the district, alleged that the Pakistani Air Force carried out strikes on Matre Dara village, causing civilian deaths.
Neither the provincial authorities nor the federal government had so far issued any statement acknowledging the incident or clarifying the reasons behind the strikes.
According to reports, while the military aimed at Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) hideouts, all the victims were civilians. Several others were said to be injured, but details on their condition remained unclear.
The bombs struck crowded neighbourhoods while families were asleep, leaving residents defenceless. By morning, eyewitnesses said Matre Dara was “littered with bodies,” with homes flattened and livestock destroyed, according to various reports.
The incident comes amid a series of counter-terrorism operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. On Sunday, the Pakistan Army said seven TTP militants were killed in Dera Ismail Khan district, while earlier this month 31 militants were reported dead in separate clashes.
According to local police data, the province recorded 605 terror incidents between January and August this year, killing at least 138 civilians and 79 police personnel. August alone saw 129 incidents, including the deaths of six Pakistani security personnel.
According to PTI reports, terrorist groups such as Jaish-e-Mohammed and Hizbul Mujahideen are now shifting bases deeper into the province, using its rugged terrain and proximity to Afghanistan as cover. (CNN)
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