Afghan shelling in Bajaur killed nine civilians, injured 12 in March-April: officials

ISLAMABAD: At least nine civilians were killed and 12 others were injured in cross-border firing and shelling by Afghan forces in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bajaur district during March and April, according to official figures released on Thursday by Bajaur Deputy Commissioner Shahid Ali Khan.

The district administration said most of the casualties were women and children. The incidents took place in the Mamond and Salarzai areas of the district.

In a statement, the district administration said there were six separate incidents in which Afghan forces targeted civilian populations in the Laghari Mamond and Taripa Shah Salarzai areas. Eight houses were also destroyed in the shelling.

The administration said relief was provided to the affected families, while the injured were given emergency medical treatment and later shifted to Peshawar for further care. It also said work had been initiated for the reconstruction of damaged homes and that compensation for destroyed property, the injured, and the families of those killed would be provided soon.

Protest in Bajaur

Residents voiced grief and anger over the incidents. According to the district administration, tribal elders, youth and people from different schools of thought held a protest on April 16, condemning the targeting of civilians and calling for an immediate end to what they described as irresponsible actions by Afghan forces.

The administration said it, along with security forces, was continuing to monitor the situation and remained committed to protecting the lives and property of residents.

South Waziristan incident

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

According to the official statement from Lower South Waziristan, the shelling caused extensive damage to civilian property and several houses were destroyed.

The Express Tribune report said that on Tuesday, security forces carried out retaliatory strikes at key sites, including the Ariana Complex, Dabgai check post, police headquarters and Zakarkhel post, which were destroyed.

Recent border tensions

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

The operation began around the end of February after renewed clashes along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, when Afghan Taliban forces fired on multiple locations and Pakistan responded militarily.

Tensions between the two neighbouring countries have continued to rise along the frontier since then. The clashes intensified after Afghanistan launched a border offensive in response to Pakistani air strikes targeting terrorist positions, and later eased during a temporary Eidul Fitr ceasefire.

The latest escalation followed a series of reciprocal actions over the past year. Pakistan had earlier carried out air strikes against camps of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and Islamic State Khorasan Province inside Afghanistan after a wave of attacks, including a suicide bombing in Islamabad.

Islamabad has long said that TTP leaders operate from Afghan territory, an allegation Kabul has repeatedly denied.

Tensions also increased after a series of explosions in Kabul on October 9 last year. Taliban forces then targeted areas along Pakistan’s border, prompting Islamabad to respond with cross-border shelling. Those exchanges caused casualties and damage to infrastructure on both sides and led to a suspension of trade after border crossings were closed on October 12, 2025.