Blast at militant compound in Pakistan kills 24, police say
Explosion in the Tirah Valley, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, destroys homes as police say bomb-making material stored at a Taliban compound caused the blast; toll includes militants and civilians.
A blast at a compound used by Pakistani Taliban fighters in Pakistan's restive northwest killed at least 24 people, including militants and civilians, authorities said Monday. The explosion occurred in the Tirah Valley of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and destroyed several nearby homes, police said.
Local police officer Zafar Khan said the toll included at least 10 civilians, including women and children, and at least 14 militants. He alleged that two local commanders, Aman Gul and Masood Khan, had established hideouts at the compound, which was being used as a factory for producing roadside bombs. Khan said militants had been storing weapons in mosques in other districts recently and accused them of using civilians as human shields.
The blast comes amid a broader campaign by security forces against the Pakistani Taliban in Khyber, Bajaur and other parts of the northwest, as militant attacks have surged in the region. The Pakistani Taliban, or Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, is a separate group that has been emboldened since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in 2021; many leaders and fighters are believed to have found sanctuary in Afghanistan.