Pakistani military airstrike: At least 30 killed

MTnewsDesk: At least 30 civilians, including seven women and four children, were killed in a suspected Pakistani military airstrike in the remote Tirah Valley near the Afghan border on Monday, according to local police and security sources, triggering widespread condemnation and demands for an immediate investigation.

The overnight bombing, which flattened four homes in the mountainous Khyber district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, occurred amid a sharp escalation in militant activity by the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) — but no official statement has been issued by Pakistan’s military or federal government to confirm responsibility or provide operational details.

Opposition lawmakers, including members of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party — which governs Khyber Pakhtunkhwa — directly blamed the military.

“It was the security forces’ aircraft that carried out the shelling. Their shelling killed 23 people,” said Iqbal Afridi, a National Assembly member whose constituency includes Tirah. 

In the provincial assembly, MP Sohail Khan Afridi condemned the strike as “nothing less than an attack on unarmed civilians.”

By Monday afternoon, around 2,000 local residents gathered in protest, demanding justice and accountability. Many carried placards reading “Stop Killing Innocents” and “We Are Not Terrorists.”

No official confirmation, but growing evidence

While authorities remained silent, multiple independent sources confirmed the death toll and nature of the attack.

A senior police officer stationed in Tirah, speaking anonymously, said: “The jets targeted four houses, which were completely destroyed. Tirah is near the Pakistan-Afghan border and hosts multiple TTP hideouts. There have been several recent attacks on security forces here.” 

A security official in Peshawar, also speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the presence of “dozens of TTP hideouts” in the area — where militants often live alongside families — but declined to name the attacker.

Human rights outcry

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) expressed “deep shock” at the incident and demanded an impartial inquiry.

“The state is constitutionally bound to protect all civilians’ right to life, which it has repeatedly failed to secure,” the HRCP said in a statement posted on X. 

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Speaker Babar Swati called for “transparent and immediate investigation,” urging authorities to “identify those responsible, provide relief and compensation to affected families, and take comprehensive measures for their rehabilitation.”

Special Assistant to the Chief Minister for Communication and Works, Sohail Afridi, told the provincial assembly the “horrifying tragedy” struck at 2am, alleging 25 people were killed by “mortar and bombs dropped from jets.” He, too, pointed fingers at the security forces — though no party has yet been independently verified as responsible.

National Assembly member Mohammad Iqbal Khan Afridi released a video in Pashto, mourning the dead and urging locals to protest.

“The killing of civilians has become a routine,” he said. 

A pattern of civilian harm

This is not an isolated incident. In May, a suspected quadcopter strike in South Waziristan injured 22, including seven children. Days later, four children were killed in North Waziristan — an attack the military later blamed on the TTP, denying involvement.

Village councils in the region have repeatedly warned that a new military counter-terrorism offensive could again put civilians in the crossfire — echoing the trauma of the 2014 campaign that displaced tens of thousands and left deep scars across the tribal belt.

Authorities silent as pressure mounts

As of publication, Pakistan’s military, the Khyber Deputy Commissioner, and District Police Officer had not responded to requests for comment from Dawn.com and AFP.

With grief turning to rage on the streets of Tirah, and national and international watchdogs demanding answers, the pressure is mounting on Islamabad to break its silence — and explain how 23 civilians, including children, came to die in the dark of night.

Source: AFP, Dawn