Public outrage over 21 deaths in Tirah Valley

Khyber: The deaths of about two dozen people in the Tirah Valley of Khyber district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have sparked a strong public outcry, with locals as well as public representatives demanding justice for the killing of innocent civilians.

According to a news report, the real reason for the blasts was not clear, as there were discrepancies in the statements of eyewitnesses and law enforcement agencies.

According to reports, about two dozen people, including women and children, were killed in a series of explosions in several houses in the Akakhel area early Monday morning. Police officials said that about a dozen militants were among the dead.

According to law enforcement authorities, the houses that were destroyed were being used by militants and were being used to store and manufacture explosives. Authorities claimed that two local commanders of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Aman Gul and Masood Khan, had forcibly taken over the houses and turned them into bomb-making centers.

However, no official statement has been issued by the security agencies or the ISPR yet. The provincial government condemned the incident, calling it an ‘operation against terrorists’. Authorities accused the banned TTP of using civilians as human shields and storing weapons and explosives in homes and even mosques.

On the other hand, local people and public representatives rejected the official position and claimed that the area was bombed in the middle of the night, killing innocent civilians. According to them, two houses were targeted in the Shadale area of ​​Daraz, which resulted in powerful explosions and the destruction of at least five houses.

The deceased included 12 children, six women, and a man from the family of local elder Khayal Akbar, while the other two people were local shepherds. According to eyewitnesses, officials posted at nearby check posts had banned the entry of people from outside into Shadale village early in the morning, while locals were pulling out bodies from the rubble with their own help.

There were suggestions to bring the bodies to the bar for protest, but they were later buried in the local cemetery. The incident was also heard in the provincial assembly, where some members of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf expressed deep grief and anger.

Meanwhile, a large number of people from different areas of Bara gathered at Khyber Chowk and expressed solidarity with the affected families of Shadala village and condemned the incident through a demonstration. MNA Iqbal Afridi, MPAs Abdul Ghani Afridi and Sohail Afridi, Tehsil Chairman Mufti Kafeel, representatives of various political parties, and tribal elders participated in this protest.

The protesters demanded that the government conduct an impartial judicial investigation into the incident and take strict action against those responsible.