30 killed after Pakistan Air Force drops precision-guided bombs on Khyber Pakhtunkhwa village

At least 30 civilians, mostly women and children, were killed in the early hours of Monday when the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) carried out airstrikes on the Matre Dara village in the Tirah Valley of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, according to Indian intelligence sources.

The strikes began around 2 am, with JF-17 fighter jets unleashing at least eight Chinese-origin LS-6 precision-guided bombs on the remote settlement. Witnesses described harrowing scenes of destruction, with bodies scattered across rubble-strewn streets and survivors digging through collapsed homes with bare hands. “Entire families have been wiped out,” a source said. “Most of the victims are women and children who had no chance to escape.”

The Tirah Valley, along the Afghanistan border, has long been a battleground where Pakistani forces target Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and allied groups. The Pakistan military claims it’s an area with “dozens of TTP hideouts”. However, the heavy civilian toll from such operations has repeatedly drawn criticism from human rights bodies. Islamabad remained silent on Monday’s tragedy, with neither the government nor the military issuing a statement. Pakistani media outlets also made no mention of the strikes.

A local police officer, speaking anonymously to a news agency, confirmed that at least four houses suspected of belonging to TTP militants were the primary target and hit in the airstrikes. Sohail Afridi, member of Provincial Assembly from Khyber district, directly accused the security forces of carrying out the “carnage”. Sharing a video on X showing dead children lying on cots, Afridi wrote, “Scenes of destruction in the Tirah Maidan Akakhail Shadla Matre Dara area after jet bombing by security forces.” Afridi denounced the Pakistan government as “oppressors”, saying that killing children and innocent people has become routine for them.

This isn’t the first time such airstrikes have been conducted. Just a week ago, four children were killed and five others injured when munitions were dropped by a quadcopter. The Pakistan Army denied any role in it, blaming TTP instead. In May, 22 people, including seven children, were injured in a quadcopter strike.

Tribal elders of the Afridi Pashtun community reportedly convened a meeting after the strikes, discussing plans for protests and possibly besieging the PAF base in Peshawar. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) voiced outrage, demanding accountability. “HRCP is deeply shocked to learn that civilians, including children, have been killed, allegedly due to aerial bombing in Tirah, Khyber district,” it said.

“We demand an immediate, impartial inquiry and that those responsible be held accountable. The state is constitutionally bound to protect civilians’ right to life, which it has repeatedly failed to secure.”