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At least 30 people, including women and children, were killed in airstrikes by the Pakistani Air Force in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Monday (Sept 22), according to multiple reports.
The attack took place around 2 am, when Pakistani fighter jets dropped eight LS-6 bombs on Matre Dara village in the Tirah Valley. Local media said many more people were injured, though their condition remains unclear.
How many people were killed in the Pakistan airstrike?
At least 30 people as the explosions flattened much of the village. Disturbing images from the site showed bodies, including those of children, lying in the open as rescue teams searched through the rubble for survivors and victims, raising fears the death toll could climb.
Why did Pakistan bomb Khyber Pakhtunkhwa?
Sources said to News18 that the strike was carried out to target Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants. Local sources and survivors said the bombs hit crowded neighbourhoods while families were asleep, leaving people at their most vulnerable. By morning, eyewitnesses described Matre Dara as “littered with bodies,” with homes reduced to rubble and livestock destroyed.
Questions over intent
According to a report, analysts noted that the use of LS-6 precision glide bombs showed the strike was intentional rather than accidental.
They argued it amounted to a violation of international humanitarian law and raised fresh concerns about Pakistan’s military operations in the tribal belt.
Pattern of civilian casualties
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has long faced counter-terrorism operations, many of which have led to civilian deaths. In June, Amnesty International warned that repeated drone strikes in the province showed a “shocking disregard for civilian life.”
“Pakistani authorities have failed to protect civilians in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, who continue to pay the price of escalating drone strikes. Last Friday’s drone strike, which killed a child, is part of a disturbing rise in attacks since March,” said Isabelle Lassee, Amnesty’s Deputy Regional Director for South Asia.
Spike in terror incidents
Police data shows the province recorded 605 terror incidents between January and August this year, killing at least 138 civilians and 79 police personnel. August alone saw 129 incidents, including the deaths of six Pakistan Army and paramilitary Federal Constabulary troops.