Peshawar, March 29, 2025: At least 11 people, including women and children, were killed in drone strikes in Mardan’s Katling area, just hours before the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) announced a three-day Eid Al-Fitr ceasefire, officials confirmed on Saturday.
According to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa administration, the strikes were part of an anti-terror operation following a TTP attack a day earlier that killed seven Pakistani soldiers in a separate military engagement.
“An operation was conducted in the Katling mountainous area based on credible intelligence about terrorist presence. However, later reports confirmed that unarmed civilians were also among the casualties.”
Local police sources confirmed to AFP that three drone strikes were carried out on Friday night. The next morning, authorities discovered that two women and three children were among the dead.
In protest, local residents placed the bodies on the road, claiming the victims were innocent civilians. A senior police officer, speaking anonymously, said an investigation was underway to determine whether the locations targeted were civilian areas or militant hideouts.
Shortly after reports of the drone strikes, the TTP announced a three-day ceasefire for Eid.
“As a goodwill gesture, TTP fighters will refrain from operations on the last day of Ramadan, Eid day, and the following day. However, they reserve the right to respond in self-defense if attacked.”
The ceasefire comes amid a surge in TTP attacks. Earlier this month, the group declared a “spring offensive”, claiming responsibility for nearly 100 attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in recent weeks.
The TTP’s escalating insurgency has led to a rise in casualties among security personnel. On Friday, seven Pakistani soldiers were killed in an hours-long gun battle with TTP fighters, after which the army deployed helicopter gunships, eliminating eight militants.
According to AFP’s tally, over 190 people, mostly security personnel, have been killed in militant violence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan since the beginning of 2025.
The Pakistani government attributes the surge in attacks to militants using Afghan territory as a sanctuary, particularly the TTP, which Islamabad claims operates freely across the border. However, the Taliban-led Afghan government denies these allegations and, in turn, accuses Pakistan of harboring Daesh militants.
The escalation highlights the ongoing security crisis in Pakistan, as authorities struggle to counter rising militant activity while managing diplomatic tensions with Afghanistan.
