BAJAUR : At least three civilians, including two children and a woman, were martyred and three others seriously injured in cross-border shelling by Afghan Taliban forces in Bajaur district, security officials said.
According to security sources, the Indian-backed Afghan Taliban carried out an unprovoked attack on the civilian population in Malik Shaheen village of the Katkot border area. The shelling struck a single house, resulting in the martyrdom of three people – a woman and two children – while three others sustained critical injuries. The wounded were immediately shifted to a hospital for medical treatment.
Security sources further alleged that the Afghan Taliban had been attempting to bring a major group of Fitna al-Khawarij (a term referring to militant extremists) into Pakistan for the past several days. However, due to the timely action of the Pakistan Army, the infiltration attempt was foiled.
“Disappointed by this failure, the Afghan Taliban today targeted the Pakistani civilian population in Katkot,” a security source stated.
In immediate retaliation, the Pakistan Army completely destroyed the gun position from which the firing originated. According to officials, all Afghan Taliban posts adjacent to Bajaur are being targeted in the ongoing Pakistan Army operation, which has caused heavy casualties among the Afghan Taliban forces.
Residents of Bajaur have strongly condemned the attack, describing it as a cowardly act, and have expressed complete solidarity with the country’s security forces.
