In a devastating incident, at least 30 civilians, including women and children, were killed when Pakistani Air Force fighter jets carried out airstrikes in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Tirah Valley early Monday morning.
According to local reports, the strikes occurred around 2 a.m. when eight LS-6 bombs were dropped on Matre Dara village, reducing homes to rubble and causing widespread carnage. Eyewitnesses described the aftermath as a “massacre,” with disturbing visuals showing bodies, including those of children, lying amid debris.
Rescue teams have been working through the wreckage to retrieve bodies and search for survivors. Officials fear the death toll may rise as many remain trapped under collapsed structures, while the number of injured is still being verified.
Civilian Toll and Human Rights Concerns
This latest incident adds to the growing civilian casualties reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa due to military operations. In June, Amnesty International criticized Pakistan for its “alarming disregard for civilian life,” citing repeated drone and air strikes in the region.
“Pakistani authorities have failed to protect the lives and property of civilians in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, who continue to pay the price of escalating military strikes,” Amnesty’s Deputy Regional Director for South Asia, Isabelle Lassee, had said earlier this year.
Between January and August 2025, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa recorded 605 terror-related incidents, resulting in the deaths of at least 138 civilians and 79 police personnel, according to provincial police data. August alone saw 129 incidents, including deadly attacks on security forces.
Aftermath of Operation Sindoor
Analysts link the escalation of violence in the province to the aftermath of Operation Sindoor, India’s May 2025 offensive that destroyed nine major terrorist hideouts across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). Since then, groups like Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) have been shifting their bases deeper into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, exploiting the province’s rugged terrain and porous border with Afghanistan.
The mountainous region, long used by insurgents since the anti-Soviet Afghan war in the 1980s and later the U.S.-led invasion post-9/11, continues to provide natural cover for terror outfits—making civilians increasingly vulnerable to both militant activity and retaliatory military strikes.
