All terrorists involved in the attack on Cadet College Wana were eliminated following a clearance operation launched by Pakistan’s armed forces, security sources said early on Wednesday.
“Four Khawarij and one suicide bomber who stormed the cadet college were killed in a coordinated push,” local media quoted the security sources as saying. “Not a single student or teacher was harmed, and the building is now being swept for landmines,” they added.
On Tuesday, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said Indian-backed terrorists had attacked the Cadet College, with security forces eliminating two attackers and trapping three inside in their immediate response. They said an operation was launched to oust the remaining terrorists, who had targeted the college with a vehicle-borne explosive device, striking the main gate and damaging nearby buildings.
“The militants were receiving instructions from Afghanistan and are hiding in a building located far from cadet residences,” said the sources, adding around 650 individuals, including 525 cadets, were inside the college at the time of the assault. They said the primary aim of the forces was to safely evacuate the cadets, adding the three terrorists were kept restricted to their location to facilitate this.
Security sources said the attack aimed to instill fear in the youth of the former tribal areas and discourage them from pursuing education. “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. Pakistan reserves the right to respond against terrorists and their leadership present in Afghanistan,” the military added.
Following the conclusion of the operation, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar told Geo News an inquiry into both the Wana and Islamabad attacks would “expose” everyone involved in the incidents. He hailed the armed forces for their successful operation against the militants, stressing it was difficult and sensitive with a risk of inflicting a tragedy ten times worse than the 2014 APS attack.
Earlier, speaking with media, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi confirmed that at least three people were martyred during the Wana cadet college operation. A report from DHQ Hospital Wana, meanwhile, said nine civilians were injured after the initial explosion damaged nearby structures.
Condemnations
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reiterated calls for Kabul to rein in militant groups operating from Afghan soil, stressing this is essential for durable regional peace. “Afghanistan must realize that lasting peace can only be realized by reining in TTP and other terrorist groups operating from Afghan territory,” he said.
Separately, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi strongly condemned the terrorist attack on Wana Cadet College, terming it an act of extreme cowardice. He said a peace Jirga, scheduled for today (Wednesday) would chalk out a joint strategy for uprooting terrorism in the province.