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HRCP Seeks Urgent Probe into Civilian Deaths from Alleged Tirah Bombing
HRCP expresses shock over reports of civilians, including children, killed in alleged aerial bombing in KP’s Tirah. Calls for immediate, impartial probe as officials remain silent.
MH
by Muhammad Hashir
2025-09-22
HRCP Seeks Urgent Probe into Civilian Deaths from Alleged Tirah Bombing

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has voiced deep concern over reports of multiple civilian deaths in the Tirah area of Khyber district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, allegedly caused by aerial bombing.

In a statement posted on X, the HRCP said it was “deeply shocked to learn that a number of civilians, including children, have been killed, allegedly as a result of aerial bombing in Tirah, Khyber district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.”

The rights body called for an “immediate and impartial inquiry into the incident” and stressed that those responsible must be held accountable. “The state is constitutionally bound to protect all civilians’ right to life, which it has repeatedly failed to secure,” the statement added.

So far, no official confirmation of the reported incident has been issued by authorities. Attempts by Dawn.com to reach Khyber Deputy Commissioner Bilal Shahid and District Police Officer Mazhar Iqbal for comment remain unanswered.

A senior police officer, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, said that four houses were targeted and completely destroyed in the strikes but did not specify who carried out the attack.

The incident has sparked outrage among political leaders. KP Assembly Speaker Babar Swati urged the federal and provincial governments to conduct a “transparent and immediate investigation” and provide compensation and rehabilitation support to the victims’ families. Special Assistant to the Chief Minister for Communication and Works, Sohail Afridi, alleged during a KP Assembly session that 25 people, including women and children, were killed when bombs and mortars struck the area.

MNA Mohammad Iqbal Khan Afridi also condemned the attack in a video message, stating that elderly women and children were among the dead. He described civilian killings as a “routine” occurrence in the region and urged protests against the incident.

This tragedy follows a series of similar incidents in the tribal districts. In May, 22 people, including seven children, were injured in an alleged quadcopter strike in South Waziristan’s Wana tehsil. A week earlier, four children were killed in a suspected quadcopter attack in Mir Ali, North Waziristan. At the time, the military denied involvement, stating that the attack was carried out by the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

The latest alleged bombing in Tirah has once again raised pressing questions about civilian safety in conflict-hit areas of KP and the urgent need for transparency and accountability.
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CivilianCasualties

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