“There was an earlier report that uncle and associates were hit by a direct mortar in an open arena.”
That was a different guy, in 2012. I remember reading about that well before this guy was killed.
“Direct mortar”? Do they mean a direct hit by a mortar round?
Are they referring to directed fire rather than undirected fire?
Mortars are an “area fire” weapon, aiming to cover an area with multiple rounds, rather than a “direct fire” weapon, a “one shot, one kill” weapon. Occasionally, one round will make a direct hit on a small target. Most often the shrapnel and blast from many rounds will destroy individual targets within the targeted area.