By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Security forces have killed all five militants who had stormed a cadet college in the restive northwest, officials said on Wednesday, in an operation that evacuated hundreds of students unharmed and drew praise from government leaders as a major success amid escalating tensions with neighbouring Afghanistan.
The assault on Cadet College Wana, in South Waziristan near the Afghan border, began on Monday when terrorists rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into the main gate, damaging nearby buildings and allowing gunmen to enter the facility, according to the military’s Inter-Services Public Relations office. The attackers, described by authorities as belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) — a group the state refers to as Fitna al-Khawarij — were cornered in the college’s administrative block.
Security sources said early Wednesday that all the militants involved had been eliminated in a successful operation, including one suicide bomber and four others. The college building was being cleared for landmines, they added, emphasising that no student or teacher was harmed. At the time of the attack, approximately 650 people were inside, including 525 cadets.
Speaking to a private television channel shortly after midnight, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar called the operation a “huge achievement” of the Pakistan Army, noting that 550 students were safely evacuated. He said the attack could have been a bigger incident than the 2014 assault on the Army Public School in Peshawar, which killed more than 140 people, mostly children. “The lives of these students were successfully saved using perseverance and expertise,” Tarar said. “This was a difficult task and a sensitive operation. And our army has proven once again that it is included among the world’s best.”
The minister lauded the security forces, saying Pakistan had “won two wars” against India and was proving its mettle in what he termed a “proxy war.” Investigations into the Wana attack, as well as a suicide bombing in Islamabad on Tuesday that killed 12 people, would continue, Tarar said. “Concrete evidence of the attacks will be shared with friendly countries and international forums,” he added, asserting that Pakistan would uncover those involved in terrorist activities. “An inquiry into the Islamabad and Wana attacks will expose anyone involved in terrorism to the world.”
A military statement earlier said the attack was aimed at instilling fear among the young generation in the erstwhile tribal areas, who are acquiring quality education to build better futures for themselves, their families and their communities. “This blatant act of barbarism orchestrated by Khwarij from Afghanistan is in contrast to assertions made by the Afghan Taliban regime claiming non-presence of these terrorist groups on their soil,” the statement added. “Pakistan reserves the right to respond against terrorists and their leadership present in Afghanistan.”
Pakistan is locked in confrontation with Kabul and New Delhi, having fought a four-day war with India in May and carried out airstrikes in Afghanistan last month, including in Kabul, targeting TTP militants. Subsequent skirmishes on the Pakistan-Afghan border were followed by unsuccessful peace talks. The TTP militants have focused attacks on security forces in recent years, but civilians had been hit in Islamabad after a decade.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed sorrow over the Islamabad suicide bombing and a car bombing in India, a spokesman said on Tuesday. Guterres is “deeply saddened” by the reported attack in Islamabad, extending condolences to the families of the victims and wishing a full recovery to those injured, Farhan Haq told reporters. “The secretary general condemns acts of violence and terrorism in the strongest terms… He reiterates that all perpetrators of terrorism must be held accountable, and he calls for a full investigation.”
Hours after the attacks, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met with President Asif Ali Zardari at the presidency to discuss the security situation. The leaders condemned the incidents and exchanged views on the overall political and security landscape. “Both leaders reaffirm their resolve that actions against foreign-backed terrorists and their facilitators will continue until the complete elimination of terrorism,” PTV reported on X.
The violence comes amid a surge in terrorist activities in Pakistan over the past year, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, following the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan’s decision to end its ceasefire with the government in November 2022. The group has since vowed to target security forces, police and law enforcement personnel.
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