Children among three killed in Pakistan’s Bajaur as shell hits home during operation

Three civilians, including two children, were killed and two others injured when a mortar shell struck a house during a targeted security operation in Pakistan’s volatile Bajaur district, officials said on Wednesday.

The incident occurred on Tuesday in the Erab area of Mamund Tehsil, according to District Police Officer Waqas Rafiq. The shell hit the home of a man identified as Ibrahim.

“All the dead and injured are members of the same family,” Rafiq told Nukta, confirming that the fatalities included Ibrahim’s wife and two children, while Ibrahim himself and another child were wounded.

Ibrahim said his children had been playing outside during curfew hours when a mortar shell landed nearby. He called them inside for safety, but moments later another shell hit the house.

“After my children came inside, another shell hit, injuring me, my wife and children,” he said. “What kind of targeted operation is this when civilians aren’t safe even at home?” He urged authorities to ensure civilian protection during such actions.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur said targeted operations were underway in Bajaur under Section 144 (curfew) to protect residents. He pledged assistance for families displaced by the fighting and said civilian deaths in counterterrorism operations were “unacceptable, regardless of who is responsible.”

Members of the Bajaur Peace Jirga gather for an emergency meeting to decide their response to civilian deaths.Nukta

The deputy commissioner has announced the lifting of the curfew on Bajaur’s main roads, allowing markets to reopen. However, the curfew in 27 villages remains in place.

Officials did not answer questions about who fired the shell or when the operation would end.

Protest over burials

Following the incident, relatives and residents initially refused to bury the victims, transporting the bodies to the Badisiah area in protest. The funerals were held later after appeals from the Bajaur Peace Jirga and due to the deteriorating condition of the bodies.

The Bajaur Peace Jirga held an emergency meeting to discuss its response. Dr Hamid ur Rehman, a lawmaker and jirga member, said the community was united in opposing civilian casualties. “We can no longer afford civilian loss in the name of an operation. Whatever the situation, we will resist,” he said.

Another jirga member, Gul Zafar, warned that residents might take matters into their own hands. “We knocked on every door for justice and peace, but no one responded. Now we will do justice ourselves,” he said.

Mass displacement

Additional Deputy Commissioner Saeed Ullah Jan said more than 20,000 families had fled the area voluntarily due to the operations. Eighty-five schools, colleges and a sports complex have been turned into temporary camps housing 1,325 families, while others have taken shelter with relatives or in host communities.

Provincial Special Assistant Dr Amjid Ali told Nukta that the government had approved PKR 50,000 ($180) in assistance for each displaced family, with an additional PKR 25,000 ($90) to be given upon their return after the operation ends.

The latest targeted operation began on Aug. 11 after a curfew was imposed on 27 villages in Mamund Tehsil. A previous operation in the same area on July 29 left three civilians dead and 11 wounded, sparking local resistance and prompting direct talks with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

That led to a 10-day ceasefire, but after seven rounds of negotiations collapsed, military action resumed.