Clearance operation continues after suicide attack at cadet college in northwest Pakistan

Nearly 24 hours after a suicide attack targeted a Cadet College in Wana, South Waziristan, in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, security forces remain engaged in a clearance operation, with officials confirming that some attackers are still inside the campus.

Security sources said that around 650 people, including 525 cadets, were inside the college when the assault began. “So far, 115 individuals have been safely evacuated, while approximately 535 remain on the premises as the clearance operation continues,” they added.

Officials said three attackers are confined to a single building, located at a safe distance from the cadets’ residential quarters. “The area has been cordoned off, and the operation is being conducted with extreme caution to ensure the safety of students,” sources said. Evacuation of cadets is being carried out gradually.

The attack on November 10 began when militants rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into the college’s main gate, destroying it and damaging nearby structures. Pakistani army personnel responded immediately, neutralizing two attackers on the spot.

Security officials condemned the assault, emphasizing that the militants, who targeted children, have no connection to Islam or Pakistan’s development. They said the operation will continue until all threats are fully eliminated.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said the attackers were trained and coordinated from across the border in Afghanistan. “Security forces are conducting a clearance operation in Wana. Any group found to have links with another country will face severe action with no possibility of pardon,” he warned.

While the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has denied involvement, factions previously linked to the TTP and the Hafiz Gul Bahadar network have claimed responsibility under a new banner, Jaishul Hind.

On Monday, the Pakistan military said that the attackers inside the college were in contact with handlers in Afghanistan and “are getting 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 Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.

The ISPR further said the attackers, belonging to the 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.”

On Dec. 16, 2014, Pakistan faced one of its most horrific chapters when militants struck the Army Public School in Peshawar. In less than 10 hours, 147 people, including 132 schoolchildren, were killed.

Officials said Pakistan has seen a rise in terror activities over the past year, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, after TTP ended its ceasefire with the government in November 2022 and vowed to target security forces, police, and law enforcement personnel.