Pak Air Force bombing in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa village leaves 30 dead
At least 30 civilians, including women and children, lost their lives in Pakistani Air Force airstrikes on a village in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in the early hours of Monday.
The strikes occurred around 2 a.m. when fighter jets released eight LS-6 bombs over Matre Dara village in the Tirah Valley, unleashing devastation. Eyewitnesses and local media confirmed that all the victims were civilians.
Several others were reported injured, though their condition remains uncertain. Graphic images and videos from the site showed the bodies of children among the dead, while rescue teams searched through rubble for more victims — raising fears that the death toll could climb further.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has frequently witnessed counter-terrorism operations in the past, many of which have resulted in civilian casualties. Earlier this year, in June, Amnesty International raised concern that repeated drone strikes in the province highlighted a disturbing disregard for civilian lives.
“Pakistani authorities have failed to safeguard civilians in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, who continue to suffer from repeated drone attacks. Last week’s strike that killed a child is part of an alarming pattern that has intensified since March,” Amnesty’s South Asia Deputy Regional Director, Isabelle Lassee, said at the time.
According to provincial police data, between January and August this year, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa witnessed 605 terror incidents, claiming the lives of at least 138 civilians and 79 police personnel. The month of August alone saw 129 such incidents, including the killing of six Pakistan Army and Federal Constabulary troops.
Militants shifting bases
After Operation Sindoor, which destroyed nine key terrorist hideouts across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), groups such as Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) are now relocating to new strongholds deep inside Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, close to the Afghan border.
The region’s rugged mountains and porous frontier with Afghanistan provide natural cover, and many old hideouts from the anti-Soviet Afghan war and the post-9/11 U.S. invasion remain intact, giving terrorist groups ready-made shelters.
