Pakistan’s Overnight Airstrikes Kill 30 Civilians in Tirah Valley, Exposing Grim Reality of Internal Conflict
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: In one of the deadliest episodes of Pakistan’s internal military campaigns, at least 30 civilians, including women and children, were killed in the early hours of Monday when the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) carried out aerial bombings in Matre Dara village of Tirah Valley, located in the Khyber district.
According to reports, eight LS-6 precision-guided bombs were dropped from JF-17 fighter jets around 2 a.m., reducing large parts of the Pashtun-majority settlement to rubble. The blasts ripped through residential areas, flattening homes and leaving behind a trail of destruction.
While the official narrative suggested that the strikes were meant to eliminate hideouts of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants, eyewitnesses and local media reported that the victims were overwhelmingly civilians—men, women, and children—highlighting once again how Pakistan’s counter-terror operations often turn into massacres of its own people.
Human Toll Ignored in the Name of Security
The sheer scale of destruction has raised serious concerns about the indiscriminate use of air power in civilian-populated regions. Survivors recounted scenes of horror—families buried under debris, children caught in collapsing homes, and entire neighborhoods wiped out in moments.
Despite the widespread devastation, official confirmation of casualties remains absent, reflecting Pakistan’s long history of downplaying or suppressing civilian deaths during military operations in its tribal belt.
Rising Military Operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
The incident comes amid a surge in military activity across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the province bordering Afghanistan that has historically borne the brunt of Pakistan’s anti-terror offensives.
Just a day earlier, the Pakistani army claimed to have killed seven TTP militants in an intelligence-based operation in Dera Ismail Khan district. Among those killed were reportedly three Afghan nationals and two suicide bombers, according to the army’s media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
Earlier this month, between September 13 and 14, at least 31 TTP militants were killed in two separate operations in the same region.
However, the overnight bombing of Tirah Valley underscores how ordinary civilians continue to be collateral damage in Pakistan’s escalating fight against terrorism.
A Pattern of State Violence Against Its Own Citizens
For decades, the Pashtun-dominated tribal areas have lived under the shadow of Pakistan’s militarization, where entire communities have often been collectively punished in the name of counterterrorism.
The latest strikes further deepen resentment among locals, who accuse the state of butchering its own citizens while failing to eliminate the roots of extremism.
Critics argue that instead of adopting a long-term strategy of rehabilitation, governance, and socio-economic reforms, Pakistan repeatedly falls back on brute force, creating fresh cycles of anger, displacement, and radicalization.
Political Messaging and Regional Tensions
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, only last week, had warned Afghanistan to “choose between siding with terrorists or supporting Pakistan.” But the tragedy in Tirah Valley raises a haunting question: what about Pakistan choosing between protecting its people or destroying them under the guise of fighting terror?
For the villagers of Tirah, the government’s rhetoric is hollow when the bombs fall on their own homes, not just militant hideouts.
The overnight bombing of Matre Dara in Tirah Valley has once again exposed the dark underbelly of Pakistan’s counterterror strategy—where its own civilians, already marginalized and voiceless, pay the ultimate price.
While Islamabad speaks of sovereignty and security, the blood of innocents in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa tells a different story: one of neglect, brutality, and state-sponsored violence against its very own.
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