2025 Tirah Valley shooting
| 2025 Tirah Valley shooting | |
|---|---|
| Part of Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | |
| Date | 27–28 July 2025 Early morning |
| Location | Bagh‑Maidan, Tirah, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan |
| Casualties | |
| Death | 5–7 civilians |
| Injuries | 17+ |
The 2025 Tirah Valley firing protesters in Bagh Maidan, Tirah, Pakistan were fired upon on 27–28 July 2025, resulting in several deaths and injuries.[1][2] The shooting occurred outside the Frontier Corps brigade headquarters, where protesters were demonstrating over the reported death of a young girl killed by stray mortar fire. Between five and seven protesters were killed, and at least seventeen others were injured.[1][2]
Background
The Tirah Valley, located adjacent to Afghanistan, has been a site of persistent insecurity due to the presence of armed groups, including Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Lashkar-e-Islam.[3] Counter-insurgency operations in the region have been ongoing, with an operation in August 2024 resulting in the deaths of twenty-five militants and four soldiers.[3]
Growing civilian anger over collateral damage from military operations preceded the incident. In November 2024, the death of two schoolboys in a mortar shelling incident prompted a peace rally of approximately ten thousand people in Bara town.[4] On 6 July 2025, a grand jirga of Afridi elders issued demands for an end to both militant violence and indiscriminate shelling by security forces.[5]
Incident
On 27 July 2025, hundreds of local residents marched to the Frontier Corps camp at Bagh Maidan. They carried the body of a minor girl who was reportedly killed by stray ordnance the previous day.[1] After officials declined to meet with them, some demonstrators set fire to a dispensary.[2] The protesters also had set fire to an excavator near the camp's gate and attempted to force it open. In response to stones being thrown and fire set by protesters, live fire was used on the crowd.[1]
Government officials said that "Kharijites" (TTP militants) opened fire on the protesters.[6] Eyewitnesses and tribal elders maintained that the protesters were unarmed.[1] Initial reports placed the number of casualties at five dead, while later accounts recorded seven fatalities and seventeen injuries.[1][2]
Aftermath
Victims of the shooting were transported via private vehicles on unpaved roads to medical facilities in Bara and Peshawar.[1] In the following days, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed grief over the shooting and ordered a judicial inquiry into the incident and directed authorities to provide medical assistance to the wounded. He also ordered authorities to provide immediate medical assistance to the injured. The provincial government announced a compensation package of PKR 10 million for the family of each deceased individual and PKR 2.5 million for each injured person.[2]
The security forces had agreed to PKR 1.5 million compensation to the families of each deceased and PKR 200,000 assistance to each injured. After a partial agreement on the demands, the protest ended and the situation started to returned to normal.[2]
See also
- September 2025 Tirah airstrike
- Operation Sarbakaf
- Operation Azm-e-Istehkam
- Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
References
- ^ a b c d e f g "Seven lives lost as protest turns violent in Tirah". Dawn. 28 July 2025. Retrieved 28 July 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f "Five die in firing on Tirah protesters". The Express Tribune. 28 July 2025. Retrieved 28 July 2025.
- ^ a b "4 soldiers martyred, 25 terrorists killed in Tirah since 20 Aug". The News International. 27 August 2024. Retrieved 28 July 2025.
- ^ "Four soldiers, two schoolchildren killed in attacks in northwest Pakistan". Al Jazeera English. 7 November 2024. Retrieved 28 July 2025.
- ^ "Jirga demands sustainable peace, stability in Tirah valley". The Nation. 6 July 2025. Retrieved 28 July 2025.
- ^ "PM expresses grief over killing of civilians in Kharijites firing in Tirah Valley". Aaj News. 27 July 2025. Retrieved 28 July 2025.