Nine members of shepherd family killed in Mardan drone strike

PESHAWAR: Nine members of a shepherd family were killed during a drone strike to target suspected militants hiding in the mountains of Babozai village in Katlang tehsil of Mardan district early Saturday, according to residents and government officials.

Security officials told The News the drone strikes were carried out on credible intelligence reports regarding the presence of hardcore militants on the mountains. They claimed that the militants had planned to carry out terrorist activities during Eidul Fitr in the area. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has ordered a high-level inquiry into the incident and announced compensation of Rs5 million for each victim of the drone attack.

All the nine victims, including two women and two children, belonged to Shamozai tehsil of Swat district. They used to migrate from Swat along with sheep and goats during the winter and settle in the foothills of Babozai and Shamozai villages in Mardan.

The death of innocent people sparked widespread outrage among the people, particularly the Gujjar community, reaching the site of the drone strike from Swat and nearby places in Mardan and Charsadda districts. They put together the bodies of the slain people and placed them on the Swat Expressway and blocked the two lanes for traffic for a few hours as a mark of protest.

Commissioner Mardan Nisar Khan told The News that their negotiations yielded results and the protesting people were convinced to open the expressway when the district administration accepted their demands.

Those who were killed in the drone strike were identified as Sherzada, son of Qaiser, 70, resident of Saidu Sharif, Amroz Khan, son of Sahib Zada, 30, Ghalegay Swat, Wazirzada, son of Qalandar, 40, Ghalegay Swat, Tur Sawab, son of Wazir, 25, Ghalegay Swat, Shaheen, wife of Lal Zada, 35, Saidu Swat, Sadiq, son of Pasham Khan, 20, Saidu Sharif, Muhammad Ali, son of Sahib Zada, Ghalegay Swat, Shaheen, son of Wazirzada, 16, Ghalegay, Swat, and Bilal son of Wazir Zada, 23, of Ghalegay, Swat.

The bodies were taken to the Tehsil Headquarters Hospital, Katlang, for postmortem.

Deputy Medical Superintendent of Tehsil Headquarters Hospital Katlang Dr Luqman Khan told The News that they had received nine bodies in which three were burned beyond recognition. “Three bodies were burned beyond recognition, one was headless but their relatives were however in a position to recognise them from their appearance,” Dr Luqman Khan said.

Meanwhile, Dr Amjad Ali Khan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Housing, was the first person to reach out to the victims and raised his voice on social media when the mainstream media refused to give it any coverage. “All the nine people, including two women and two children, who were killed in the drone attack in Katlang, were 200 per cent innocent people. I knew each one of them personally as they belonged to my native town in Shamozai in Swat,” Dr Amjad Ali Khan told The News.

He said these people used to migrate to the foothills of Mardan during winter for the sake of their livestock and had nothing to do with militancy.

“I personally visited the site where they were killed and assured their relatives of a proper inquiry into the incident. After discussion with the chief minister, the provincial government has announced Rs5 million compensation to each victim of the drone strike, to lodge the FIR and initiate a high-level inquiry into the incident,” he said.

The minister said the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government had announced that security of all those people who lived in the mountains along with their livestock, would be ensured. He complained that he had approached all media houses in Pakistan but none of them were willing to run the story of the nine innocent people.

Meanwhile, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government issued a press note, saying that “In the early hours of March 29, a counter-terrorism operation was conducted in the remote hilltop area of Katlang, Mardan, based on credible intelligence regarding the presence of armed militants using the location as a hideout and transit point.

“The operation successfully neutralized several high-value targets linked to ongoing militant activities in the region. Unfortunately, subsequent reports confirmed the presence of non-combatants, including women and children, at the periphery of the target zone, resulting in tragic civilian casualties.”

The press note said, “This is an immensely painful and regrettable development. Every effort is made during such operations to avoid collateral damage. However, the complex terrain, the deliberate tactics of militants to embed within civilian populations, and the fog of war can sometimes lead to unintended consequences.”

It further said, “The government extends its deepest condolences to the affected families and stands with the affected families in this moment of grief. Immediate measures are being taken to investigate the circumstances surrounding civilian presence in the area, extend medical assistance to the injured and facilitate relief and compensation for the victims’ families.”