Attack on cadet college in northwest Pakistan thwarted by forces: ISPR

Pakistan security forces said they foiled an armed assault on Cadet College Wana in South Waziristan on Monday, after attackers used an explosive-laden vehicle to breach the college’s main gate.

According to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), assailants attempted to force their way through perimeter defenses before ramming a vehicle packed with explosives into the gate, causing structural damage and damaging nearby infrastructure.

Troops at the scene engaged the attackers; the security forces said two assailants were killed and three managed to enter the campus, where they were subsequently cornered in the college administrative block.

The military described the incident as part of an ongoing threat to educational institutions, comparing it to the 2014 Army Public School attack in Peshawar and saying the attackers appeared intent on provoking fear among students in the former tribal regions now expanding access to formal education.

The ISPR statement also said the attackers were receiving direction from handlers across the border in Afghanistan, a claim that echoes repeated accusations by Islamabad about cross‑border support for militant groups.

Afghan authorities have previously denied harboring such groups; the military statement framed the incident as justification for Pakistan’s right to act against militants and their leadership believed to be in Afghanistan.

Clearance and sanitization operations were reported to be under way to remove any remaining threats.

Officials said the response forms part of a broader counter‑terrorism drive under the initiative Azm‑e‑Istehkam, approved by the Federal Apex Committee on the National Action Plan, aimed at eliminating foreign‑supported militancy from Pakistan.