In a rare admission, Pakistan acknowledged civilian casualties in a militant operation, with officials expressing regret over the unintended deaths.
In a rare revelation, Pakistan on Saturday admitted to have killed 10 civilians during an anti-militant operation in the country’s northwest and promised to probe the circumstances.
Authorities in Pakistan made the admission Saturday evening about the deaths which occurred in the early hours of that morning in a remote hilltop area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province’s Katlang, according to an Associated Press report, which added that it was not immediately clear how the operations were carried out.
Pakistan does not usually reveals civilian casualties that take place during anti-militant activities.
Women, children among victims
Provincial government spokesman Muhammad Ali Saif said that reports indicated the location was being used as a “hideout and transit point for terrorist” elements.
Subsequent information revealed that some unarmed civilians were present in the vicinity of the site, Saif added.
According to locals 10 bodies, including those of women and children, were recovered from the area where government officials claimed the anti-militant operation took place.
The victims belonged to the Swat region and were nomads with livestock in the Shamozai mountains, the AP report quoted locals as saying.
‘Unintended consequence’
Their families of the victims protested the deaths by keeping the bodies on the Swat Highway even as spokesperson Saif condemned the killing of the unarmed individuals, calling it an “unintended consequence”.
The loss of unarmed individuals was deeply regrettable and the tragic incident occurred as a consequence of targeting terrorists, Saif said.
“The safety of civilians is always a top priority during such operations. However, due to complex geography, terrorists using civilian populations as cover, and the urgent nature of the operation, unintended consequences can sometimes occur,” the report quoted Saif.
A statement from the provincial government said the operation “successfully neutralised several high-value targets” linked to ongoing militant activities in the region. It also said, “the fog of war can sometimes lead to unintended consequences.”
