Pakistani airstrikes or bomb-making accident? Mysterious blast in Khyber kills 24, sparks frenzy

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An airstrike in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa carried out by the Pakistani army killed 24 civilians, including women and children, and injured many others, reported local media citing sources.

The strike took place around 2 am on Sunday, September 21, when Pakistani fighter jets reportedly bombarded the Tirah area of Khyber district, the report said.

⚡ Over 20 civilians were killed including childrens and many injured in Pakistan Air Force airstrikes on villages in the Tirah Valley of the Khyber Pass region. Pakistan Air Force JF-17 fighter jets dropped at least eight LS-6 bombs on the villages. pic.twitter.com/5A3kMtVwZn

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According to a News18 report citing intelligence sources, the recent strikes in Pakistan’s tribal belt were carried out using China-supplied JF-17 Thunder jets that dropped at least eight LS-6 precision glide bombs. The targeted settlement was left with multiple blast zones, even though there was no verified militant presence or casualties.

Police officials cited by AP, however, claimed the blast was triggered by bomb-making material stored at a compound used by Pakistani Taliban commanders Aman Gul and Masood Khan. They said at least 10 civilians and 14 militants were among the dead, adding that the militants had been using civilians as shields and manufacturing roadside bombs in the area.

Locals and survivors told News18 that the bombs ripped through densely populated neighbourhoods while families were asleep, leaving homes flattened, livestock destroyed, and bodies scattered across Matre Dara by dawn.

Intelligence assessments reviewed by the outlet suggested that the use of LS-6 precision-guided bombs was proof of deliberate intent rather than collateral damage. Analysts argued that the strike amounted to a violation of international humanitarian law, raising concerns about Pakistan’s military conduct in the region.

“Labelling a civilian massacre as an anti-terror operation exposes Islamabad’s habitual use of counter-terror cover for internal repression,” one intelligence source told News18, drawing parallels with past army atrocities in the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).

While intelligence networks and locals described the incident as an aerial assault, the Pakistan Army denied any role, instead attributing the carnage to a terrorist munitions accident, the report said. In its official statement, the army claimed that “a large cache of explosives hidden by Khawarij terrorists” had gone off inside a house in Metra Dara, collapsing nearby structures and causing civilian deaths.

The army further alleged that 12–14 militants and 8–10 civilians were killed in the blast, insisting that militants had deliberately placed their compounds next to family homes and mosques, thereby using civilians as shields.