Pakistan Minister Accuses Taliban and TTP of Civilian Casualties in Bajaur

Pakistan’s Information Minister Ataullah Tarar has accused the Afghan Taliban and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) of killing nine civilians and injuring fifteen others in the Bajaur district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Speaking to reporters, Tarar stated that militant groups operating along the border were responsible for the recent violence, which included an incident where a quadcopter operated by armed fighters struck a group of civilians playing cricket, leaving three injured.

The allegations come amid heightened cross-border tensions following recent Pakistani artillery strikes in Afghanistan’s Kunar province. According to Tarar, the Pakistani military operations targeted homes and facilities at Syed Jamaluddin Afghan University, which Islamabad claims are used by militant networks. The minister dismissed reports of civilian casualties from the strikes as baseless, asserting that Pakistan’s operations are strictly limited to terrorist infrastructure.

Afghan authorities have previously reported that the Kunar strikes resulted in seven deaths and more than seventy injuries. Tarar rejected these figures, reiterating that Pakistan does not target civilian populations. As of the latest reports, representatives for both the Afghan Taliban and the TTP have not issued public statements addressing the accusations regarding the incidents in Bajaur or the casualty claims surrounding the Kunar operations.

The exchange of allegations underscores ongoing security challenges along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, where both sides have periodically accused each other of harboring militant groups and endangering civilian communities. Diplomatic channels have yet to announce any formal talks aimed at de-escalating the recent flare-up in hostilities.