SOUTH WAZIRISTAN: Security forces successfully evacuated all students and teachers from Cadet College Wana on Tuesday amid a tense, ongoing clearance operation against terrorists who had stormed the educational institution earlier this week.
According to security sources, the rescue was carried out with precision and care to ensure the safety of over 650 individuals — including 525 cadets — who were present at the college when the attack began. “All students and staff have been safely evacuated. The operation will now move toward a comprehensive and decisive conclusion,” officials confirmed, adding, “It will continue until the last militant is sent to hell.”
The clearance operation, led by the Inspector General of Frontier Corps (South), is being conducted with extreme caution due to the reported presence of Afghan militants inside the compound. Earlier updates indicated that three terrorists were still holed up in one of the college’s far-off buildings and were being surrounded by security forces.
Afghan-Based Militants Linked to the Attack
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi confirmed that the attackers were Afghan nationals, communicating “throughout the night” with their handlers across the border. “We are very clear that Afghanistan is directly involved in this attack,” he told reporters in Islamabad. “If they cannot stop these terrorists from using Afghan soil, Pakistan will have no choice but to deal with them ourselves.”
Naqvi praised security forces for swiftly rescuing all cadets, revealing that the attackers had planned to hold students hostage in a plot resembling the 2014 Army Public School tragedy. “Their plan failed. Our soldiers acted with immense courage,” he said, adding that three people had been martyred in the operation.
The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) earlier confirmed that the terrorists were taking directions from their handlers in Afghanistan. “This act of barbarism by khwarij from Afghanistan contradicts the Taliban regime’s repeated claims that no terrorist groups operate from their soil,” the ISPR stated.
Nationwide Vigilance Amid Rising Terror Threats
The attack on Cadet College Wana follows a surge in terrorist incidents across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. On Monday alone, 20 militants were killed in separate intelligence-based operations in North Waziristan, Dara Adam Khel, and Kalat.
Officials say the assault on the college was an attempt to recreate fear reminiscent of the 2014 APS tragedy, when 147 people — including 132 children — were martyred in Peshawar. “These terrorists have no religion, no humanity, and no connection to Islam,” a security source said. “They only wish to stop the tribal youth from pursuing education and a better future.”
