At least six civilians, including children, were martyred after a mortar shell fired by terrorists struck a residential house during an ongoing security operation in Hangu, according to local sources.
The incident occurred while security forces were conducting an operation against terrorists in the area. During the exchange, terrorists reportedly fired a mortar shell targeting security personnel, however, the projectile landed in a nearby residential locality instead.
As a result, six members of a family, including children, were martyred on the spot, triggering panic and grief in the area.
Sources said security forces continued the operation following the incident, while rescue teams and local residents rushed to the site to recover the victims and assist the injured.
The attack once again highlights the growing danger posed to civilian populations by terrorist activity and indirect fire incidents in conflict-hit districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
In recent weeks, similar cross-border and terrorist-linked mortar and artillery incidents have repeatedly affected civilian areas across tribal and border districts, including Bajaur, Khyber, North Waziristan, Mohmand, and South Waziristan.
The latest such incident was reported on May 7 in the Angoor Adda area of South Waziristan, where at least ten civilians were injured after mortar shells fired from across the border struck a local market, according to official reports and local sources.
Security officials and local communities have repeatedly warned that continued shelling and terrorist activity in populated regions are increasingly placing civilians directly in the line of fire, deepening insecurity across border districts already struggling with years of violence and displacement.
