Explosion in the compound leads to multiple deaths
The explosion took place on Monday in the restive northwest of Pakistan, an area frequently targeted by militants. Police believe that the blast occurred in a compound where Pakistani Taliban members were storing bomb-making materials. The resulting explosion claimed the lives of at least 10 civilians, including women and children, as well as 14 militants. Local authorities confirmed the scale of destruction, with several nearby homes also being destroyed in the blast.
Pakistani Taliban behind the attack?
According to local police officer Zafar Khan, the compound was being used by two Pakistani Taliban commanders, Aman Gul and Masood Khan, who had turned it into a factory for producing roadside bombs. Khan accused the militants of using civilians as human shields and hiding weapons in mosques in other districts, further complicating efforts to combat militancy in the area. The compound was reportedly part of a larger network of hideouts and bomb-making facilities used by the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an armed group allied with the Afghan Taliban.
Pakistan’s security forces have been conducting operations against the TTP in Khyber, Bajaur, and other parts of the northwest. The TTP has claimed responsibility for a surge in attacks across Pakistan, with many of their fighters believed to be taking refuge in Afghanistan. Since the return of the Afghan Taliban to power in 2021, the TTP has been emboldened, leading to an increase in violence in the region. The Pakistani military is under increasing pressure to take stronger action against the growing militant presence, especially as attacks against civilians continue.
Condemnation of the attack by local leaders
The attack has drawn strong condemnation from local lawmakers. Abdul Ghani Afridi, a member of the Provincial Assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, accused the Pakistani government of targeting its own citizens in what he described as an "open crime against humanity."
"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 said. He appealed to the international community and human rights organizations, urging them to raise their voices for the victims, just as they do for conflicts like Gaza.
Abdul Ghani Afridi also condemned the airstrikes as "state oppression," calling the event 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,” Afridi said, demanding accountability for the deaths and justice for the victims' families. “We strongly condemn this barbarity. We demand that the blood of the martyrs must be accounted for,” he added, emphasizing the need for justice and transparency.
There has been no official statement from the Pakistani government regarding the incident.
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