BARA/KARACHI: Tens of thousands of people have fled a remote mountainous region in northwestern Pakistan in recent weeks, residents said, after warnings broadcast from mosques urged families to evacuate ahead of a possible military action against militants.
Residents of the Tirah Valley, in the Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa that borders Afghanistan, said they have moved out of the area into nearby towns despite heavy snowfall and cold winter temperatures because of the announcements to avoid the possible fighting.
“The announcements were made in the mosque that everyone should leave, so everyone was leaving. We left too,” said Gul Afridi, a shopkeeper who fled with his family to the town of Bara located 71 km (44 miles) east of the Tirah Valley.
Local officials in the region, who asked to remain unidentified, said thousands of families have fled and are being registered for assistance in nearby towns.
Residents from Tirah valley, who fled a remote mountainous region bordering Afghanistan, gather to get themself registered, in Bara, Khyber District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan, on January 30, 2026. (REUTERS)
