The families of 71 victims killed during air strikes in Khyber, close to the Afghan border, got the money as compensation. According to media reports, local Pakistani authorities have already paid out around $125,000, but are not admitting or claiming responsibility.
The attacks and compensation payments come at a difficult time when the country is facing difficult internal challenges. The upper house of Pakistan’s Parliament has been debating a package of constitutional reforms, and protests have continued against a proposal to rename the North-West Frontier Province to Khyber-Pukhtunkhwa.
According to reports from Reuters, the role of U.S. Special Operations Forces with Pakistan’s paramilitary Frontier Corps may also be larger than previously reported, causing greater scrutiny of Pakistani security forces and their actions.
