Bajaur deputy commissioner said on Thursday that at least nine civilians, including women and children, were martyred in six cross-border attacks carried out by Afghan Taliban operatives targeting Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Bajaur district since February, the deputy commissioner said on Thursday.
The DC office released a list of victims, mostly women and children, who fell prey to unprovoked attacks on the civilian population from the Afghan side in the Mamund and Salarzai areas.
The victims included three women and six innocent children who were martyred. Moreover, 12 people sustained injuries and eight residential units were destroyed in the unprovoked firing and mortar shelling incidents, the statement read.
It added that the district administration and security forces responded promptly and effectively, providing immediate relief to affected families.
Authorities were closely monitoring the situation in Bajaur and vowed all-out steps to ensure public safety, the DC said.
Since the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan in 2021, Pakistan has seen an increase in cross-border terrorist activity, particularly in the provinces of KP and Balochistan, which share a border with Afghanistan.
In addition to the cross-border attacks, Taliban regime have intensified propaganda campaigns accusing Pakistan of targeting Afghan civilians, allegations Islamabad has repeatedly and categorically denied.
These developments raised questions over the seriousness of the Afghan Taliban regime in bringing calm to the borders despite Kabul's agreement to avoid further escalation during talks with Islamabad, hosted by China in Urumqi from April 1 to 7.
Amid the rising terror incidents, Pakistan had launched "Operation Ghazab lil-Haq" during which at least 796 Afghan Taliban fighters and Fitna al-Khawarij militants have been killed in Pakistan's strikes along the border and within the neighbouring country.
According to Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, over 1,043 Afghan Taliban fighters and FAK militants have been injured, 286 checkposts destroyed, 44 captured, and 249 tanks, armoured vehicles, and artillery guns eliminated.
Moreover, 81 terrorists and terrorist support infrastructure locations across Afghanistan effectively targeted by air, he added.
