Daijiworld Media Network - Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sep 22: At least 30 civilians, among them women and children, lost their lives in a deadly airstrike by the Pakistani Air Force in the Tirah Valley region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during the early hours of Monday.

According to reports, the incident occurred around 2 am when Pakistani fighter jets dropped eight LS-6 bombs on Matre Dara village, leaving the settlement devastated. All those killed were civilians, while several others sustained injuries, though their condition remains uncertain.

Shocking visuals emerging from the site showed lifeless bodies of villagers, including children, scattered amidst the debris. Rescue teams continued operations through the day, fearing the toll could rise further as more bodies are being pulled from under the rubble.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has remained a hotbed of counter-terror operations over the years, with recurring civilian casualties. Police records show that between January and August this year alone, the province witnessed 605 terror-related incidents, claiming the lives of at least 138 civilians and 79 police personnel. August itself recorded 129 incidents, including attacks that killed six Pakistan Army and paramilitary Federal Constabulary members.

The latest strikes come in the backdrop of Operation Sindoor, which had earlier targeted and destroyed nine major terrorist hideouts across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
Following the operation, terror groups such as Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) are said to be shifting their bases deeper into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, taking advantage of the province’s rugged terrain and its porous border with Afghanistan. Many of these areas still harbour hideouts originally established during the anti-Soviet Afghan war of the 1980s and the subsequent American-led invasion post 9/11.