Afghan shelling in Bajaur martyred nine civilians and injured 12 in incidents in March and April

At least nine civilians and 12 others were injured in unprovoked cross-border firing and shelling by Afghan forces over the past two months in the Bajaur district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, local authorities confirmed on Thursday.

According to official figures released by Bajaur Deputy Commissioner Shahid Ali Khan, most of the victims were women and children. The attacks occurred in the Mamond and Salarzai areas of the district during March and April.

A press release from the district administration detailed six separate incidents in which Afghan forces deliberately attacked civilian populations in the Laghari Mamond and Taripa Shah Salarzai areas. The cross-border aggression also destroyed eight homes.

Read: Eight civilians injured in cross-border shelling in South Waziristan: DC

In response, the Bajaur district administration and security forces took timely and effective action. The affected families were given immediate help and the injured were given emergency medical assistance before being shifted to Peshawar for advanced treatment.

The authorities have also initiated measures for the reconstruction of damaged homes and compensation will soon be provided for the destroyed properties, the injured and the families of the martyrs.

Residents expressed grief and anger over the aggression by Afghan forces. On April 16, tribal elders, youth and people from all schools of thought staged a strong protest, condemning the attacks on innocent civilians and demanding an immediate end to what they called irresponsible actions by the Afghan forces.

The district administration and security forces continue to closely monitor the situation and reiterated their commitment to take all possible measures to protect the lives and property of the people.

The statement was issued hours after the Deputy Commissioner of Lower South Waziristan said that eight civilians, including women and children, were seriously injured after cross-border firing and shelling hit the Angoor Adda area of ​​South Waziristan on April 26 and 29.

The official statement said the bombing caused significant damage to civilian properties and several houses were destroyed in the affected area.

On Tuesday, security forces carried out retaliatory attacks on key locations, including the Ariana compound, Dabgai checkpoint, police headquarters and Zakarkhel post, which were destroyed.

The incidents marked a renewed episode of cross-border aggression after a gap of more than a month, following Operation Ghazab Lil Haq, which was launched in response to earlier unprovoked hostility from the Afghan side.

Operation Ghazab Lil Haq was launched in late February following fresh clashes along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, after Afghan Taliban forces fired at multiple locations, prompting swift military retaliation by Pakistan.

Neighboring countries have since escalated hostilities along the border. Clashes intensified after Afghanistan launched a border offensive in response to Pakistani airstrikes on terrorist positions and subsided during a temporary ceasefire on the occasion of Eidul Fitr.

Read also: Five injured in cross-border bombings in Afghanistan

The escalation of tensions between the two countries followed a series of tit-for-tat actions over the past year.

Pakistan previously carried out airstrikes against TTP camps and the Islamic State’s Khorasan province inside Afghanistan after a wave of attacks, including a suicide bombing in Islamabad.

Islamabad has long maintained that TTP leaders operate from Afghan territory, a charge Kabul has repeatedly denied.

Tensions also rose after a series of explosions in Kabul on October 9 last year. Taliban forces subsequently attacked areas along the border with Pakistan, prompting Islamabad to respond with cross-border bombings.

The exchanges caused casualties and damage to infrastructure on both sides and led to the suspension of trade after the closure of border crossings on October 12, 2025.