BAJAUR: Two women and a child were martyred and two others were injured when mortar shells fired from the Afghan side hit a border area in Lowi Mamund tehsil of Bajaur district on Wednesday night.

Official sources and residents said that multiple mortar shells fired from the Afghan side struck two houses in the Bara Laghari area.

They told Dawn that two women and a child were killed and two others were injured in the incident.

The exact number of mortar shells fired could not be ascertained immediately.

The official sources said that the wounded, including a man and a woman, identified as Umar Ali and Sadiqa Bibi, were shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital, Khar, for treatment.

The sources said that Uzma Bibi, Sadia and Maaz were martyred in the incident.

Following the tragedy, scores of residents of Lowi Mamund and other parts of the district rushed to the hospital to donate blood for the wounded.

It is pertinent to mention here that this was not the first time that Afghan forces had targeted civilian populations in Bajaur, as such incidents have continued over the past several months, leaving a number of people, including women and children, killed and injured.

Meanwhile, people from different walks of life condemned the Afghan forces for targeting civilians.

Published in Dawn, April 16th, 2026