By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Security forces killed at least two militants on Monday after repelling an attack on a military-run school in the restive northwest, the army said, in the latest clash amid a surge in violence that has claimed dozens of insurgents in recent days.
The assault on Cadet College Wana in South Waziristan unfolded early on Monday, when militants tried to storm the facility, according to a statement from the military’s media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations. Security personnel thwarted an initial attempt to breach the perimeter, but the attackers then detonated an explosives-laden vehicle at the main gate, causing it to collapse and damaging nearby structures.
The intruders entered the campus and were cornered in the administrative block, the statement said. “Displaying unwavering courage and professional excellence, own troops engaged the intruders with precision, eliminating two khwarij belonging to Indian proxy, Fitna al Khwarij,” it added, using the government’s term for militants affiliated with the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan.
The military said the attackers were in contact with handlers in Afghanistan during the operation and were receiving instructions. “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 said. It emphasised that Pakistan reserves the right to respond against the terrorists and their leadership present in Afghanistan.
The episode evoked memories of the 2014 attack on the Army Public School in Peshawar, where militants killed 147 people, including 132 schoolchildren, in one of the country’s deadliest terrorist strikes. “These khwarij belonging to Indian proxy, Fitna al Khwarij have once again tried to repeat the barbaric act of terrorism carried out by them in Army Public School Peshawar in 2014,” the military said. Officials described the latest attempt as an effort to instill fear among tribal youth pursuing education in the region.
The school attack came hours after the military announced that at least 20 terrorists had been killed in separate operations over the weekend in North Waziristan and Dara Adam Khel districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province. Those clashes, conducted between Nov. 8 and 9, formed part of a broader campaign against insurgents. In Shawal, a rugged area in North Waziristan, security forces killed eight militants in an intelligence-based operation. “During the conduct of operation, own troops effectively engaged the khwarij location, eight Indian sponsored khwarij were sent to hell,” the military said.
In Dara Adam Khel, 12 more were killed in an intense firefight. The operations yielded weapons and ammunition from the slain militants, who were described as actively involved in terrorist activities. Sanitization sweeps continued in the areas to root out any remaining threats. “Under Operation Azm-i-Istehkam, approved by the Federal Apex Committee on National Action Plan, the security forces and law enforcement agencies of Pakistan will continue at full pace to wipe out the menace of foreign-sponsored and supported terrorism from the country,” the statement said.
The weekend tally brought the total to at least 24 militants killed in three engagements across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, according to the military. In a separate post on X, the Inter-Services Public Relations detailed an operation on Nov. 1 in Kalat District of Balochistan, where four militants were killed. “During the conduct of operation, own troops effectively engaged the terrorists’ location and resultantly, four Indian sponsored terrorists were sent to hell,” it said, referring to them as belonging to “Indian proxy Fitna al-Hindustan,” a designation for Balochistan-based groups that the government links to alleged Indian involvement in regional instability. Pakistan has repeatedly accused India of sponsoring terrorism within its borders.
The military recovered arms from the site and initiated further searches to eliminate any other “Indian sponsored terrorist” in the vicinity. The recent operations follow a pattern of intensified military action. On Oct. 16, security forces reported killing 34 “India-backed” terrorists in multiple raids across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa over three days.
Violence has escalated in Pakistan since the TTP ended a ceasefire with the government in November 2022 and pledged to target security personnel. The group, which operates from bases in Afghanistan, has been blamed for a wave of attacks, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. In response, the government last June approved Operation Azm-i-Istehkam, a renewed counterterrorism drive. The uptick in attacks has strained relations with Afghanistan’s Taliban government, which Pakistan accuses of harboring militants.
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