At least 30 civilians, including women and children, were killed early Sunday after alleged airstrikes hit Matre Dara village in the Tirah Valley of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.

According to media reports, the strikes occurred around 2:00 am, flattening homes and trapping residents under the rubble. Survivors described the incident as a “massacre,” with bodies lying in the open and livestock destroyed.

Sources cited in report claimed that China-supplied JF-17 Thunder jets dropped at least eight LS-6 precision glide bombs on the settlement, creating multiple blast zones.

Residents and tribal leaders insisted that no militant presence existed in the area. In protest, members of the Akakhel community held a jirga and decided to bury the women victims but place the bodies of men and children outside the Corps Commander’s House to demand justice.

A sit-in protest has already begun at Khyber Chowk, where protesters accused the government of targeting innocent civilians under the guise of counter-terrorism operations.

The Pakistan Army has categorically denied conducting any airstrikes. In a statement cited by NDTV, military officials claimed the explosion was caused by a terrorist munitions cache accidentally detonating inside a house, killing militants and civilians.

The statement further alleged that militants had stored explosives near family homes and mosques, which amplified civilian casualties.

However, intelligence sources and analysts have questioned the military’s account, pointing to confirmed use of JF-17 jets and Chinese-made precision weapons in the area. Security experts warn that such incidents risk deepening Pashtun resentment and could further destabilize Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Human rights group Amnesty International has previously criticised Pakistan’s counter-terrorism operations in the region for what it called an “alarming disregard for civilian life.”