At least 24 people, including civilians and militants, were killed on Monday in a deadly explosion at a compound in the Tirah Valley, a restive area in northwest Pakistan. The blast was reportedly linked to bomb-making materials stored by Pakistani Taliban fighters, though some reports suggest it may have resulted from airstrikes by Pakistan Air Force (PAF) jets.
Local authorities confirmed the scale of destruction, noting that several nearby homes were destroyed. Among the deceased were at least 10 civilians, including women and children, alongside 14 militants. Police believe the compound was used by two Pakistani Taliban commanders, Aman Gul and Masood Khan, as a factory for producing roadside bombs. According to police officer Zafar Khan, militants also allegedly used civilians as human shields and stored weapons in mosques across other districts, complicating counter-terrorism efforts.
The compound is believed to be part of a larger network of hideouts and bomb-making facilities operated by Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an armed group allied with the Afghan Taliban. Pakistani security forces have been actively conducting operations against the TTP in Khyber, Bajaur, and other northwest regions. Since the return of the Afghan Taliban to power in 2021, the TTP has intensified attacks, taking refuge across the border and escalating violence in Pakistan.
The incident has drawn strong condemnation from local lawmakers. Abdul Ghani Afridi, a member of the Provincial Assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, accused the government of targeting its own citizens, calling the event an “open crime against humanity.” He stated, “If in Tirah Akakhel, our own protectors have mercilessly martyred innocent children, youth, and women, staining the earth with blood, this is an open crime against humanity.”
Afridi further condemned the airstrikes as “state oppression”, describing the incident as a “minor apocalypse” for the people of Upper Tirah Akakhel. “The valley where children once laughed heartily is now filled with their tiny corpses... This is open tyranny,” he added, demanding accountability and justice for the victims. He appealed to the international community and human rights organizations to raise their voices for the affected families, similar to other global conflicts.
