'Militants using civilians as human shields': Did Pakistan bomb a Khyber Pakhtunkhwa village and kill 30 people? What we know

At least 30 people were killed in an overnight Pakistani air strike in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa village, local reports said on Monday.

However, the Associated Press, citing police, reported that the blast occurred in the region after a bomb-making material planted by Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) exploded, killing 24, including militants. The police accused the militants of using "civilians as human shields".

Here's what we know so far:

Pak police suspects TTP's involvement

The blast occurred after bomb-making material, allegedly stored by Pakistani Taliban fighters, exploded, destroying houses in the Tirah Valley, AP reported.

At least 10 civilians, including women and children, were killed, along with at least 14 militants, the news agency cited local police officer Zafar Khan saying.

He claimed that two local Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) commanders, Aman Gul and Masood Khan, had set up hideouts in the compound, which was reportedly being used to manufacture roadside bombs. He also accused the militants of employing "civilians as human shields" and storing weapons in mosques across other districts.

Local reports say Pak fighter jets involved

Local reports and visuals of the aftermath claim that Pakistani fighter jets bombed the area killing the civilians. “All of the victims were civilians,” Amu TV quoted a source saying.

This came after a recent ambush by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in South Waziristan, which killed at least 12 soldiers and injured four others, underscoring the persistent threat posed by the group in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The militants had claimed responsibility via social media, highlighting their continued operational capability in the region.

The TTP previously controlled large swathes of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa until a 2014 military operation pushed them back. Since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in Kabul in 2021, militant activity along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border has intensified, with the TTP maintaining close ties to its Afghan counterparts. Pakistan has repeatedly accused Afghanistan of harboring militants who cross the border to attack Pakistani forces, a claim Kabul rejects.

Local communities have reported growing signs of TTP presence, including graffiti marking territory in multiple districts, sparking fears of a return to the group’s former dominance during the height of the US “War on Terror.”

All limits of oppression crossed
Jailed ex-prime minister Imran Khan's party, PTI, lashed out at the government, saying the "state has crossed all limits of oppression and tyranny against peaceful residents by carrying out airstrikes with fighter jets".

"In Khyber District’s Bara Tehsil, Tirah Valley, Aka Khel Upper Bara Matre, the state has crossed all limits of oppression and tyranny against peaceful residents by carrying out airstrikes with fighter jets.
Twenty-five innocent children have been martyred in the bombing. Where is the justice in this?" said Iqbal Afridi, who is Pakistan's National Assembly member.

Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) expressed deep shock over the killing of civilians in the bombing and demanded "the authorities carry out an immediate and impartial inquiry".

"HRCP is deeply shocked to learn that a number of civilians, including children, have been killed, allegedly as a result of aerial bombing in Tirah, Khyber district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. We demand that the authorities carry out an immediate and impartial inquiry into the incident and hold to account those responsible. The state is constitutionally bound to protect all civilians' right to life, which it has repeatedly failed to secure," the HRCP said.