A devastating airstrike in northwest Pakistan&rsquo;s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has left at least 30 people dead, including women and children, after the Pakistan Air Force bombed suspected Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) hideouts in Tirah Valley on Monday.
Local officials said the compound that was hit served as a bomb-making facility for TTP militants but was located in a densely populated area. &ldquo;At least 14 militants were killed in the attack,&rdquo; said police officer Zafar Khan, adding that two local Taliban commanders, Aman Gul and Masood Khan, had established hideouts in the area. He accused the militants of using civilians as human shields and storing weapons in mosques in nearby districts.
The blasts caused widespread destruction, damaging several houses. Videos shared online showed injured children being treated on makeshift beds while distraught residents searched through rubble. Rescue teams continued operations late into the night, with authorities warning that the death toll could rise further.
This deadly strike comes amid a string of intensified operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where militant violence has spiked in recent months. On Sunday, the Pakistan Army reported killing seven TTP fighters in an intelligence-based raid in Dera Ismail Khan district near South Waziristan. Among those slain, according to the army&rsquo;s media wing, were two suicide bombers and three Afghan nationals.
Just days earlier, between September 13 and 14, at least 31 militants were killed in two separate clashes across the province. The resurgence of TTP attacks has raised alarm in Pakistan, with the group emboldened since the Taliban&rsquo;s return to power in Afghanistan in 2021. Many of its leaders are believed to be operating from sanctuaries across the border.
While the military insists its latest strikes targeted terrorist infrastructure, reports from locals stress that most of the casualties were civilians, turning yet another chapter in Pakistan&rsquo;s bloody battle against insurgency into one marked by tragedy and loss.

Airstrikes Kill 30 in Pakistan’s Khyber Valley

Women, children among dead as PAF targets TTP hideouts in Tirah Valley

Airstrikes Kill 30 in Pakistan’s Khyber Valley

Women, children among dead as PAF targets TTP hideouts in Tirah Valley

September 22, 2025 | 16:47 IST