Caught in fighting between security forces and terrorists, residents in KP's Bara are forced to leave their homes

KHYBER: Scores of families from the Bara tehsil of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Khyber district have been compelled to vacate their homes due to fighting between terrorists and security forces in recent days, in which the residents say they feel vulnerable to drone strikes and artillery shelling by both sides. The displaced families are from the Sturikhel area, which is located near the border of Khyber and Orakzai districts. Sources in the area told Dawn that they were left with no option but to vacate their homes and move to safer localities. They said the residents of Meero Darra, Sal Gazai, Sawi Kot and Parrwan villages, in particular, were forced to leave their homes due to artillery shelling and drone strikes that were conducted day and night. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the newly displaced residents told Dawn that the terrorists also tried to use them as human shields. “We felt completely insecure and decided to leave our houses instead of getting caught in the fighting between terrorists and security forces,” said one of the displaced Sturikhel tribesmen. Some of the displaced residents told Dawn that terrorist groups had come to Bara from the Tirah valley in recent days. In late 2025 and early 2026, Tirah’s residents also had to leave their homes in anticipation of a military operation against terrorists, who were holed up in various parts of the valley at the time. Sources in Bara said that clashes between terrorist groups and security forces erupted in the Sturikhel area after the latter launched intelligence-based operations. According to Bara residents, while most of the Sturikhel residents have opted to relocate to their relatives’ houses in Bara, some also went to Peshawar, where they have their own houses or are living on rent. Meanwhile, a jirga of Sturikhel tribal elders met officials of the Khyber district administration in Bara and informed them about their plight. The elders demanded that district administration officials register them as intern