Blast in Pakistan’s Tirah Valley Kills at Least 24 Amid Conflicting Reports

Bomb-making material allegedly stored at a compound by Pakistani Taliban fighters exploded before dawn Monday in the country’s restive northwest, killing at least 24 people, including militants and civilians, police and security officials said.

Conflicting accounts later emerged, with a local lawmaker claiming the deaths were caused instead by airstrikes in the Tirah Valley of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The military did not comment, and security officials dismissed the claim of a strike as baseless.

Earlier in the day, local police officer Zafar Khan said the massive explosion killed at least 10 civilians, including women and children, along with 14 militants. But hours later, lawmaker Suhail Afridi told the provincial assembly that all those killed were civilians and that the deaths resulted from jets firing shells late Sunday.

Thousands of mourners attended the funerals of those killed in the northwestern Tirah Valley and later rallied against the government, demanding justice for the dead.

As outrage grew online over the reported civilian deaths, the independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said it was “deeply shocked to learn that a number of civilians, including children, have been killed, allegedly as a result of aerial bombing” in the Tirah Valley. The commission urged authorities to investigate and take action against those responsible.

Three security officials, however, said Monday there were no strikes in Tirah. They said militants from the Pakistani Taliban had established an improvised explosive device factory in the middle of a residential area. Speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media, the officials said a massive blast happened inside the militant facility, which then spread to nearby houses.

According to the officials, 12 to 14 militants were killed in the overnight explosion, along with eight to 10 civilians who had been used as “human shields.” The blast ripped through the house where two local Pakistani Taliban commanders, Aman Gul and Masood Khan, had stored explosives to make roadside bombs. Multiple blasts followed as munitions stored at the compound detonated.

Pakistan’s security forces are carrying out operations against the Pakistani Taliban in Khyber, Bajaur and other parts of the northwest. The operation in Bajaur began in August and displaced hundreds of thousands of people, who later returned after most areas were cleared.

Pakistan has seen a surge in militant attacks, most claimed by the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP. The group, allied with the Afghan Taliban, has been emboldened since the Afghan Taliban’s return to power in 2021, with many of its leaders and fighters believed to have found sanctuary in Afghanistan.

In conflict-prone areas such as Tirah Valley, where civilians often find themselves caught between militant activity and military operations, preparedness can mean survival. It is a reminder of the value of reliable emergency tools, like the 142-in-1 Tactical Survival Kit – Because Mother Nature Doesn’t Care About Your DD-214, designed to provide critical gear in unpredictable situations.