BAJAUR / SOUTH WAZIRISTAN – A pair of weekend attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s tribal districts left multiple children seriously wounded, underscoring the region’s continued vulnerability to cross-border shelling and militant activity.
Mortar Shell Hits Home in Bajaur
On Sunday afternoon, a mortar shell struck a home in the Badan Shah Kallay area of War Mamund tehsil, Bajaur district, injuring four children. The victims, all from the family of Lal Zamin, were identified as 12-year-old Abbas Khan, six-year-old Sajid Khan, eight-year-old Saniala Bibi, and two-year-old Huma Bibi.
Locals rushed the children to the District Headquarters Hospital, where they remain under treatment.
Officials confirmed that investigations are underway but have not yet identified the source of the shelling. The strike comes just two days after a similar incident in Lowi Mamund tehsil’s Gohati area, where another mortar hit a house, killing one person and injuring another.
District officials, including Khar Assistant Commissioner Dr. Sadiq Ali and Nawagai Additional Assistant Commissioner Irshadul Haq, visited the hospital to meet the injured children and their families.
Suspected Quadcopter Strike Injures Brothers in South Waziristan
Hours later, in the Spinkamar area of Upper South Waziristan’s Makin tehsil, a suspected drone or quadcopter attack left two brothers critically injured.
The victims, identified as Mohammad Khan and his older brother Yahya Khan, were reportedly walking home from a seminary with friends when they were targeted. Both were initially treated locally before being transferred to Dera Ismail Khan’s District Headquarters Hospital for surgery. Yahya’s condition is said to be critical.
Their uncle criticized the lack of government response, telling reporters that aside from routine police inquiries, no officials had reached out to the family. He appealed directly to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s chief minister for urgent financial support.
A senior police official, speaking anonymously, confirmed suspicions that militants used a quadcopter in the attack, adding that evidence was being collected from the scene.
Security Tensions Remain High
Both Bajaur and South Waziristan have experienced periodic violence in recent months, often linked to militant groups operating near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Sunday’s incidents highlight growing concerns over the use of advanced tactics, including small drones, in attacks targeting civilians.
