A powerful explosion ripped through a compound in Pakistan’s volatile northwest on Monday, September 22, 2025, claiming the lives of at least 24 people. Police reports indicate that the casualties include both suspected militants and innocent civilians. The blast is believed to have been triggered by bomb-making materials allegedly stored by Pakistani Taliban fighters within the facility.
The catastrophic incident took place in the remote Tirah Valley, located within the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The sheer force of the explosion not only decimated the compound but also caused significant damage, destroying several homes in the vicinity.
Confirming the grim toll, local police officer Zafar Khan stated that at least 10 civilians, among them women and children, tragically lost their lives. In addition to these civilian casualties, at least 14 militants were also reported dead.
Officer Khan further revealed that the compound was allegedly being operated as a factory for manufacturing deadly roadside bombs by two local Pakistani Taliban commanders, Aman Gul and Masood Khan, who had established their hideouts there. He vehemently condemned the militants, accusing them of cruelly using civilians as human shields and of illicitly storing weapons in religious sites, specifically mosques, across other districts.
This incident comes amid ongoing intensive operations by Pakistan’s security forces targeting the Pakistani Taliban in various parts of the northwest, including Khyber and Bajaur. These efforts aim to dismantle militant networks and restore peace to the region.
Pakistan has recently witnessed a significant increase in militant attacks, with the majority of these claimed by the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a group distinct from but allied with the Afghan Taliban. The TTP’s activities have reportedly surged since the Afghan Taliban’s return to power in 2021, and there are strong suspicions that many TTP leaders and fighters have sought refuge and found sanctuary across the border in Afghanistan.