Soldiers stand guard as parents arrive with their children at the military public school in Peshawar, January 12, 2015. PHOTO: AFP
RAWALPINDI:
Security forces foiled a major terrorist attempt to replicate the 2014 Army Public School (APS) tragedy, foiling an armed attack carried out by terrorists belonging to the Indian proxy group Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) or Fitna al Khwarij on the Wana Cadet College in South Waziristan, the Army said on Monday.
According to a statement by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), “On November 10, 2025, in a heinous and cowardly act of terrorism, Khwarij belonging to Indian proxy Fitna al Khwarij attacked Wana Cadet College in South Waziristan district.”
The ISPR said the attackers attempted to breach the security perimeter of the college, but “their nefarious designs were quickly foiled by the vigilant and resolute response of our own troops.” In desperation, the terrorists rammed a vehicle loaded with explosives into the main entrance, causing it to collapse and damaging nearby infrastructure.
“Displaying unflinching courage and professional excellence, our own troops fought the intruders with precision, eliminating two khwarij… However, three Khwarij managed to enter the College premises which were stuck in the College administrative block,” the ISPR added.
The statement said the attackers once again attempted to repeat the “barbaric act of terrorism they carried out at the Military Public School in Peshawar in 2014”, aimed at spreading fear among students from tribal districts who were pursuing studies for a better future.
The ISPR further said that “the Khwarij hiding in the college premises are in touch with their masters and masters in Afghanistan and are receiving instructions. This blatant act of barbarity orchestrated by the Khwarij from Afghanistan is in contrast to the claims of the Afghan Taliban regime asserting non-presence of these terrorist groups on their soil.”
He warned that Pakistan reserved the right to take action against terrorists and their leaders present in Afghanistan. “Clean-up operations are underway to eliminate Indian-sponsored kharjis,” he said.
“We will relentlessly continue the anti-terrorism campaign under the vision of ‘Azm-e-Istehkam’ (as approved by the Supreme Federal Committee on National Action Plan) of the security and law enforcement agencies of Pakistan, which will continue in full swing to eliminate the menace of foreign sponsored and supported terrorism from the country,” the statement concluded.
Separately, the ISPR said security forces killed 20 Khwarij terrorists in two operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. “In case of reported presence of khwarij, an intelligence-based operation was carried out by security forces in the general area of Shawal in North Waziristan district. During the conduct of the operation, our own troops effectively engaged the location of khwarij, eight Indian-sponsored khwarij were sent to hell,” the statement said.
“Another intelligence-based operation was carried out in Dara Adam Khel district and after an intense exchange of fire, 12 more khwarij were effectively neutralized,” he added, confirming that disinfection operations were underway to clean the area.
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulated the armed forces for their successful operations in Shawal and Darra Adam Khel. The president praised the “courage and professionalism” of the troops, saying the operations reflected the unity and determination of the nation.
President Zardari reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to eradicating terrorism through “complete national consensus”. Prime Minister Shehbaz also paid tribute to the forces who killed 20 terrorists, saying, “Protecting Pakistan is our top priority and we remain committed to eliminating all forms of terrorism.”
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, in a separate statement, praised the courage of the security personnel, saying: “The timely actions of our forces foiled the nefarious designs of the terrorists in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa…I salute our security forces for sending 20 terrorists to hell.”
He added that Pakistani forces were achieving “significant successes in the fight against terrorism” and remained committed to maintaining peace in the region.
(WITH INPUT FROM THE APPLICATION)
