Pakistan airstrikes kill at least 30, including children, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

At least 30 people, including women and children, were killed on Monday (September 22) after the Pakistan Air Force reportedly carried out airstrikes in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

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According to reports, eight LS-6 bombs were dropped from JF-17 fighter jets on the Pashtun-majority Matre Dara village around 2 am. The explosions flattened large parts of the settlement, leaving widespread devastation.

TTP hideouts on target

Several others were said to have been injured, though an official confirmation was still awaited. Local media reported that the Air Force was targeting suspected Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) hideouts in the area, but all those killed were civilians.

Videos shared on social media platforms showed injured children lying on makeshift beds as locals around assessed the damage.

The attack comes amid intensified military operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a province bordering Afghanistan that has seen a sharp escalation in terrorist activity in recent months.

Seven militants killed

On Sunday, the army announced that seven TTP militants had been killed during an intelligence-based operation in Dera Ismail Khan district. Among them were three Afghan nationals and two suicide bombers, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of the army.

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Just days earlier, on September 13–14, at least 31 TTP fighters were killed in two separate encounters in the province.

Pakistan has witnessed a surge in terrorist attacks in recent weeks, most of them in its border regions. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, commenting on the situation last week, said Afghanistan must “choose between siding with terrorists or standing with Pakistan.”