Tirah Valley blast kills 24 as blame shifts to airstrike or accident

At least 24 people, including women and children, were killed early Monday in an explosion that destroyed homes near a compound in the Tirah Valley of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, officials and local residents said, touching off protests and sharp disputes over whether the blast was an accidental detonation or the result of an airstrike. The incident occurred around 2 a.m. in the Matre or Matur Dara area of Khyber district, close to Pakistan's Afghan border.

Police said explosives stored at a compound used by Pakistani Taliban fighters detonated, killing 14 militants and 10 civilians. Station House Officer Zafar Khan told reporters the site was being used as a factory for making roadside bombs and named two local commanders, Aman Gul and Masood Khan, as having established hideouts there. He and other officials accused militants of using civilians as human shields and of stockpiling weapons in civilian sites, including mosques.

Residents and eyewitnesses, however, disputed that account and said the destruction was caused by Pakistani fighter jets. Local media and witnesses alleged that JF17 aircraft dropped eight precision-guided LS6 bombs on the village, flattening homes and killing as...