Nine Civilians Killed in Taliban-Linked Attacks in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Pakistan’s Minister of Information announced that at least nine civilians have been killed and 15 others injured following attacks attributed to the Afghan Taliban and Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. According to him, these incidents occurred in the Bajaur tribal region and included women and children among the victims.

Atullah Thararr said on Friday, April 28, that three civilians who were playing cricket were also wounded as a result of targeting by a quadcopter. He described the incident as an “open and shameful targeting” and called those responsible “the seditionists.”

So far, neither the Taliban administration nor the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan have responded to these allegations. This comes amid rising border tensions between Pakistan and the Taliban administration in recent months, raising concerns about the safety of residents on both sides of the border.

Last week, the Pakistani military conducted artillery attacks on the center of Kunar province, including some residential areas and the Said Jamaluddin Afghan University. Taliban officials claimed that seven people were killed and more than 70 injured in these strikes; however, Pakistan’s Minister of Information dismissed these claims as “unfounded.”

Thararr emphasized that Pakistan only targets militant hideouts and their support infrastructure, exercising “utmost caution” to prevent harm to civilians. Nevertheless, the March clashes between the two sides have been described as some of the fiercest border tensions in recent years, resulting in dozens of civilian and armed casualties on both sides of the Durand Line. Continued conflict threatens to further jeopardize the security of the border communities.