Dhaka, Sept. 23 -- At least 24 people, including women and children, were killed in a series of explosions in Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Monday, sparking widespread calls for an investigation.

The blasts occurred in the remote Tirah Valley. Police initially said the explosions were caused by bomb-making material stored at a Pakistan Taliban (TTP) compound, killing both fighters and civilians.

However, opposition leaders and local officials alleged that Pakistani warplanes carried out overnight air raids as part of a counterterrorism operation targeting militants in the mountainous region bordering Afghanistan.

No official statement has yet been issued by the government or the military.

Local police officer ...