At least 30 people, many of them civilians, were killed on Monday after Pakistan’s military launched airstrikes on suspected Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) hideouts in the Tirah Valley of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, according to media reports.

Authorities said the strikes targeted a compound where local Taliban commanders Aman Gul and Masood Khan had been manufacturing roadside bombs. Police confirmed that 14 militants were among the dead, but added that the blasts also claimed civilian lives, including women and children. Videos circulating online showed injured children being treated on makeshift beds, with extensive damage to nearby homes.

Officials accused the militants of using civilians as human shields and of storing weapons in mosques across other districts. Rescue operations are ongoing, and the death toll is expected to rise.

The incident follows a series of intensified operations against TTP in recent weeks. On Sunday, the Pakistan Army reported killing seven militants in Dera Ismail Khan during an intelligence-based operation. Earlier this month, at least 31 TTP fighters were eliminated in separate clashes.

Pakistan has witnessed a sharp rise in militant violence, mostly carried out by TTP, a group allied with the Afghan Taliban. The TTP, though distinct from its Afghan counterpart, has grown more aggressive since the Taliban regained power in Kabul in 2021, with many of its fighters reportedly finding refuge in Afghanistan.