KHYBER: As many as 13 civilians, mostly children, who received injuries when a qaudcopter allegedly dropped explosives on a marketplace in Tirah valley here on Monday, were brought to hospitals in Peshawar for treatment, local sources told Dawn on Tuesday.

Earlier, it was speculated that militants were targeted in the quadcopter strike.

The sources said the people were hit by shrapnel when the blast occurred. They added two of the injured children were stated to be in critical condition.

The sources said the incident happened in Peer Mela marketplace of Tirah valley in the afternoon when the bazaar was bustling with buyers as a fair ‘mela’ is traditionally organised every Monday to attract residents to purchase essential commodities of daily use.

Earlier, it was speculated that Monday’s attack targeted militants

Salim, a Peer Mela resident, told Dawn that the explosives were dropped without any provocation from local residents, who were busy shopping.

Using only one name, Salim said that it was with much difficulty that they were able to bring the injured, mostly children, to Hayatabad Medical Complex and Khyber Teaching Hospital in Peshawar via the Dwa Thoey and Meshti Mela roads. “It took us almost six hours to reach Peshawar and admit the injured in hospitals with some of the injured needing immediate blood supply, which we arranged with much difficulty,” he said while explaining the ordeal.

He said that five of the injured children belonged to one family, while two from another and the rest included some adults and shopkeepers. “The injured children aged between 10 and 15 with two of them injured critically,” he said.

Shamsul Haq, a policeman, currently posted in Akkakhel area of the valley, had his two sons, a daughter and a nephew injured in the strike, but he said that he was not present at the site of the strike and was informed by the family members only when the injured were shifted to hospital.

He said some of the injured were also shifted to District Headquarters Hospital in Orakzai for treatment.

Video footage shared on social media of these injured children also authenticated that they were civilians and shifted to hospitals in Peshawar for treatment.

Though it was initially speculated on Monday that the quadcopter strike had targeted militants’ positions in the hilly terrain of Peer Mela in Tirah, there was no official confirmation of the strike.

It was also speculated on Monday that an important militant commander was also among the injured, but that too could not be confirmed from official quarters.

Sources in the region, however, said that the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan militants had of late started the use of quadcopters in Waziristan and Tirah. The TTP too is so far silent about the strike.

Published in Dawn, October 23rd, 2024