More than 20 people, including civilians, were killed during a raid against militants in northern Pakistan, security officials said on Monday.

The raid was launched on a compound in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where the Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), allegedly stored bomb-making materials.

Local police officer Zafar Khan told the Associated Press that at least 10 civilians, including women and children, were killed, along with at least 14 militants.

The incident sparked outcry from local politicians as well as a protest of around 2,000 people in a nearby town.

"This assault by the security forces is nothing less than an attack on unarmed civilians," said provincial MP Sohail Khan Afridi, who is a member of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan's party.

What do we know about the raid?

The raid was conducted against a compound in the remote Tirah valley in the northern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Neither Pakistan's government nor its military have claimed responsibility for the raid.

However, local police said a raid took place on a compound that the TTP allegedly used to make roadside bombs.

These explosive materials contributed to a blast that destroyed several nearby homes, they said.

A senior police officer in the town of Tirah told the AFP news agency that seven women and four children were among the 23 dead, without confirming who carried out the assault.

"The jets targeted four houses, which were completely destroyed," he said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

Tirah is near the Pakistan-Afghan border and is home to multiple TTP hideouts. In recent months, there have been several attacks on security forces in the area.

Edited by: Karl Sexton