NORTH WAZIRISTAN: Two children were killed and 16 others injured when a mortar shell exploded at a seminary in the Esuri area of Mirali tehsil here on Wednesday.

The incident occurred at Madressah Shams-ul-Quran in Sher Mohammad Kot village at around 2pm soon after some students brought in a mortar shell they had found outside the seminary.

According to initial reports, the children mistook it for a toy and were playing with it when it suddenly exploded.

As a result of the blast, 16 students were injured, while two young children died on the spot. The injured were shifted to hospitals in Bannu and other nearby areas.

Bodies of two missing youth found in Bajaur

Sources said the security forces had previously warned the Esuri tribe that a mortar shell had fallen in the area and that civilians should stay away from it. However, due to lack of awareness, the children picked up the shell and brought it into the seminary, leading to the tragic incident.

In Bajaur, bodies of two missing youth were found from a mountain in the Mala Said area of Salarzai tehsil on Wednesday.

Residents and police said Abdur Rasheed, 23, and Shahid Khan, 24, had gone missing from Mala Said Banda mountain while returning to their homes on Tuesday.

They told Dawn that the bullet-riddled bodies were found by some residents on Wednesday morning.

“The youths , fetching water to Khaza post on donkey, went missing after unidentified miscreants abducted them in an area between Soori and Khaza mountains on Tuesday afternoon,” Israr Khan, public relations officer of the police, said while quoting Sher Zamin, SHO Salarzai police station.

The official said the bodies were later shifted to the Tehsil Headquarters Hospital, Pashat, for necessary formalities.

Residents and hospital sources said both the bodies also bore torture marks, suggesting the abductors had severely tortured them before shooting them.

Meanwhile, district police officer Waqas Rafique said they had launched an investigation into the killings.

No one has claimed responsibility for the murders, which the police suggested might be an act of terrorism.

Also, three people were killed in separate incidents in Bannu district on Wednesday.

The first incident occurred near Nala Kashoo in Domel, where two cousins were killed by unidentified assailants. The deceased were identified as Kiramatullah and Mohammad Khan.

According to the family, the two men had gone to the Nala Kashoo Darga Umarzai area in search of their cattle when they were killed.

In another incident, unknown motorcyclists opened fire on a man, later identified as Qalandar Shah, in the Miryan area of Bannu city, killing him on the spot.

Published in Dawn, December 11th, 2025