Girl killed, six injured in alleged drone strike in Pakistan's Khyber district

A girl was killed and six others injured after an alleged quadcopter drone struck a residential house in the Akakhel area of Bara tehsil in Pakistan's Khyber district, officials said Tuesday.

The incident triggered a late-night protest, during which police opened fire to disperse demonstrators. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi ordered an inquiry into both the strike and the police firing.

What happened in the Khyber drone strike in Bara tehsil?

A quadcopter drone hit a house in the Akakhel area of Bara tehsil, killing a minor girl and injuring six members of the same household.

District Police Officer Waqar Ahmed confirmed the attack to Nukta. Security sources blamed militants for the strike, saying it was carried out to divert attention as security forces tightened their cordon during an ongoing operation.

Who is responsible for the Khyber quadcopter attack?

Responsibility for the attack remains disputed. Security sources said militants launched the quadcopter strike on the civilian house as a diversion tactic, and that security personnel immediately evacuated the injured to the Frontier Corps North hospital.

Local residents, however, blamed security forces for the attack and staged a protest to demand accountability. PTI lawmaker Abdul Ghani Afridi, who was present at the demonstration, described the incident as "absolutely unacceptable" and called for a "comprehensive, transparent and impartial" investigation.

He said protecting civilian life and property was the state's primary responsibility, and warned that negligence in such cases would not be tolerated. Tensions escalated during the protest, with police opening fire to disperse the crowd. DPO Ahmed said the firing occurred within Peshawar's jurisdiction, and that Peshawar police would conduct the inquiry into how the demonstration was handled.

What action has the KP government taken after the Bara incident?

Chief Minister Sohail Afridi took notice of both the drone strike and the police firing, ordering an immediate inquiry and directing authorities to take strict legal action against those found responsible.

The DPO confirmed the inquiry into the protest dispersal would be conducted by Peshawar police, given the jurisdiction.

The KP government has faced similar pressure before: a protest in Khyber in July last year, after a girl was killed in a suspected mortar strike, ended with security forces opening fire, leaving at least five people dead and 16 injured.