Lagatar24 Desk
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: At least 30 people, including women and children, were killed early Monday when the Pakistan Air Force reportedly bombed the Pashtun-majority village of Matre Dara in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. According to local reports, eight LS-6 bombs were dropped from JF-17 fighter jets around 2 am, destroying a large part of the settlement and injuring several others.
Civilians Among Heavy Casualties
Initial accounts suggest all those killed were civilians, though an official confirmation of injuries is still awaited. Eyewitnesses said entire homes were flattened in the blasts, leaving survivors scrambling for safety amid debris. Authorities have yet to release a full casualty list, while rescue teams continue to search for people feared trapped under rubble.
Operation Against TTP Suspected
Local media reported the air raid was intended to target Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) hideouts in the mountainous region near the Afghan border. The strike followed an uptick in counterterrorism actions: on Sunday, the army said seven TTP militants, including Afghan nationals and suicide bombers, were killed in Dera Ismail Khan. Earlier this month, security forces eliminated at least 31 TTP fighters in two separate encounters across the province. Officials maintain the operations aim to curb rising extremist violence, but civilian deaths have heightened concerns over military tactics in densely populated areas.
