By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: At least 11 people, including women and children, were killed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in an incident locals described as a drone strike, though authorities said it was a counter-terrorism operation targeting militants.
The incident occurred in the early hours of Saturday in the Shamozai area of Katlang tehsil, Mardan district. According to local residents, the deceased were civilians, including shepherds from the Gujjar community who had temporarily settled in the area for the winter before their annual migration back to Upper Swat in the summer with their livestock.
The provincial government issued a press note early Saturday acknowledging civilian deaths but describing them as collateral damage from a counter-terrorism operation.
The statement said the operation was conducted in the remote hilltop area of Katlang based on intelligence about armed militants using the location as a hideout and transit point.
“The operation successfully neutralised several high-value targets involved in militant activities in the region,” the press note said. “Unfortunately, subsequent reports confirmed the presence of non-combatants, including women and children, at the periphery of the target zone, resulting in tragic civilian casualties.”
The government attributed the civilian deaths to the complex terrain and militants’ tactics of embedding within civilian populations.
“Immediate steps were being taken to investigate the circumstances surrounding civilian presence in the area, extend medical assistance to the injured [and] facilitate relief and compensation for the victims’ families”.
Muhammad Ali Saif, spokesperson for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, confirmed the operation and expressed regret over the unintended losses.
“An anti-terror operation was conducted in the Katlang mountainous area of Mardan district based on credible information about the presence of terrorists,” Saif said. “According to reports, this location was being used for the hideout and movement of terrorist elements.”
He added, “It is regrettable that unarmed people were killed in the operation, including women and children,” noting that later information revealed the presence of civilians near the scene.
Police sources, speaking to AFP newswire on condition of anonymity, said three drone strikes were carried out on Friday night. They told AFP that it was only on Saturday morning that officials learned two women and three children were among the dead. “In protest, local residents placed the bodies of the victims on the road,” a senior police officer told AFP, noting that locals described the deceased as “innocent civilians.”
Another official said an investigation was underway to determine whether militants were present at the time of the strikes. “It is too early to say whether the places affected were civilian areas or whether they were sheltering Taliban,” he said.
The incident follows a recent attack by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) that killed seven soldiers during an army operation elsewhere in the province on Friday, which officials suggest may have prompted this counter-terrorism effort. The military has not yet commented publicly on the Mardan incident.
The deceased were identified as Hazrat Bilal, Noor Muhammad, Wazir, Amroz Khan, and Shahazada alias Shah Da, all from the Gujjar community. The identities of the remaining victims remain unknown.
After the incident, relatives of the victims and residents staged a protest, placing the bodies on the Swat Motorway and blocking both lanes to demand justice. A heavy police contingent was deployed to maintain order at the scene.
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