Pakistan Air Force Bombing in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Kills 24
The Pakistan Air Force carried out heavy aerial bombings on Matre Dara village in the Tirah Valley of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The country’s opposition party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), reported that at least 24 bodies have been recovered from the debris, while 20 others were injured. Five houses were targeted in the attacks and were completely destroyed. Police claimed that explosives were being manufactured in these homes.
PTI leaders alleged that Matre Dara village was filled with the bodies of women and children following the airstrike. Many of the dead and injured are still being pulled from the rubble. PTI shared disturbing photos and videos from the site showing numerous bodies, including children.
PTI leader Abu Abdul Sattar stated that multiple bombs fell on the local population during the jet bombing in Tirah Valley. Police, however, claimed that the blast occurred not due to Pakistani fighter jets but because of explosives used for bomb-making. The explosion killed 24 people, including 14 militants, and at least 10 civilians, including women and children. Local residents, however, refuted the police’s theory, insisting the area had been targeted by aerial attacks. Such claims by police are common in Pakistan following military operations.
The incident has sparked outrage among the local population. A local MP said, “The valley where children once laughed freely now lies scattered with their little bodies. This is state oppression, a dark stain on history that can never be erased.” Afaridi demanded accountability for the state’s cruelty and justice for grieving families. PTI MP Abdul Ghani described the situation as catastrophic, accusing local security forces of ruthlessly killing innocent children, women, and youth. He urged global media and human rights organizations to raise their voice for their cause, similar to Gaza and Palestine.
Another PTI leader, Mohammad Yunus Ansari, noted that the dead included women and children. He criticized the Pakistani military for sowing seeds of hatred through repeated drone strikes and bombings, warning of dire consequences if this violence continues. Abdul Ghani Afridi, a member of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Provincial Assembly, called the targeting of civilians a blatant crime against humanity.
The Pakistani military claims the attack targeted a bomb-making center of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is strategically known as the gateway between Afghanistan and South Asia. Historically, invaders like Ghori, Ghazni, and Babur entered India through this route. In 1947, the Pashtuns demanded a separate state but were left stranded due to British and Jinnah’s politics. Pakistan reportedly carried out the bombing to suppress the lingering discontent among the Pashtuns and weaken the PTI government in the province under the guise of counter-terrorism.
The military and political leadership in Pakistan have historically launched operations against opposition parties under military guidance. PTI, the main opposition party, has been protesting the imprisonment of its founder and former Prime Minister Imran Khan for the past two years, with activists being jailed nationwide. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has long witnessed human rights violations and forced displacements, and this airstrike has exposed Pakistan’s intentions to the world—bombing its own citizens to pursue dangerous objectives.
This bombing highlights Pakistan’s dark side, as it targets its citizens under the pretense of anti-terror operations. Following operations like ‘Sindhur,’ the Air Force’s targeting of civilians under the label of militancy appears to cover its own wrongdoings. Lies can never hide the truth, no matter how many airstrikes are carried out on civilians.