Ayesha Mir

WANA: The ruins of Cadet College Wana still smell of dust and explosives.&nbsp;Seeing a school reduced to rubble is always a painful sight. But seeing an institution painstakingly built in a tribal region that fought for years to reclaim its right to education makes the devastation feel even heavier.&nbsp;Amid shattered glass, blood stains, and walls pocked with bullets at Cadet College Wana, one thought offered relief: all 535 students and staff survived a coordinated terrorist assault on November 10. An outcome made possible by a swift three-phase operation by the Pakistan Army.&nbsp;The attack also reopened old wounds. For many, the chaos of the night evoked memories of the December 16, 2014 Army Public School Peshawar massacre, when seven Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan [TTP] militants stormed the school and killed 150 people, including 134 children. The specter of that tragedy loomed heavily over Wana.&nbsp;College built to heal regionFounded in 2011, Cadet College Wana was envisioned as a pathway out of conflict for South Waziristan&rsquo;s youth. Since then, 645 students have graduated, more than half becoming engineers, doctors, civil servants, or officers in Pakistan&rsquo;s armed forces.&nbsp;&ldquo;These kids are our pride,&rdquo; Principal Usman said during a briefing. &ldquo;They&rsquo;ve won international competitions, seven gold medalists, one civil award holder. Yet on November 10, terrorists tried to attack these same children. The same Afghan khawarij who claim Pathans are their brothers came to kill the children of those very Pathans.&rdquo;&nbsp;His voice trembled, not with fear, but disbelief at the cruelty that came for his students.&nbsp;Night of the attackThe violence at the college entrance speaks for itself: a four-foot-wide crater gouges the ground where a vehicle carrying 500&ndash;600 kilograms of explosives rammed the gate. The iron gate was blown dozens of meters away. Watch posts on both sides collapsed instantly. The remains of the terrorists&rsquo; vehicle lie twisted and charred, evidence of a plan meant for mass casualties.&nbsp;Beyond the gate, the auditorium dedicated to Abdul Wali Wazir Shaheed, a former cadet who embraced martyrdom while leading an anti-terror operation in 2022, now lies in ruins. Its destruction felt deeply symbolic to many on campus.&nbsp;Inside the administrative block, the terrorists&rsquo; entry point, bullet holes stitch the walls. Blood from the three civilian staff targeted by the attackers stains the staircase. Boots and slippers lie abandoned on the rooftop. The devastation stretches across the campus; even distant structures bear scars from the explosion.&nbsp;&lsquo;We kept the cadets safe&rsquo;Walking through the destroyed building, Colonel Muhammad Tahir recounted the sequence of events:&nbsp;&ldquo;They hit the car at the gate and entered. Five khawarij came toward the main building. They wanted to reach the hostels&hellip; because that&rsquo;s where the innocent cadets were. But we quashed their plans. We contained them here and kept the cadets safe there.&rdquo;&nbsp;He said the terrorists carried sophisticated weapons and maintained communication with handlers in Afghanistan. A blood-stained bandana reading &ldquo;Special Istikhadiis Force &ndash; Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan&rdquo; was recovered. In the lawn outside, investigators found the severed foot of one suicide bomber.&nbsp;&ldquo;These were istikhadiis. Do or die,&rdquo; he said.&nbsp;Three-phase operationThe Army&rsquo;s response unfolded in three phases: containment, evacuation, and elimination.&nbsp;Containment was swift. Snipers and Quick Response Force units surrounded the militants within minutes of the initial blast.&nbsp;The evacuation, however, was slower and far more delicate. With hostels exposed to the militants&rsquo; line of sight, soldiers improvised a back-route escape, breaking windows and using ladders to lower students from upper floors.&nbsp;&ldquo;We created a firewall between the enemy and the children,&rdquo; said Colonel Shahid Masood, who led the evacuation. &ldquo;We moved building to building, room to room. The instruction from the Army Chief was clear: not a single child should be harmed.&rdquo;&nbsp;The process lasted nearly six hours. Some cadets were moved under tarpaulins, others in armoured vehicles through improvised exits. By late afternoon, all had been accounted for.&nbsp;Only then did the final phase begin. Snipers killed the attackers as they attempted to flee the administrative block.&nbsp;&ldquo;We not only killed them,&rdquo; Colonel Tahir said. &ldquo;We killed their intent.&rdquo;&nbsp;Inside the storeroomsThe students&rsquo; accounts reveal the fear, but also the unwavering composure, that defined the night.&nbsp;&ldquo;We were doing drill rehearsal when the blast happened,&rdquo; said 18-year-old Cadet Abdullah. &ldquo;We ran to our houses and waited two hours until the Army arrived. They stood like walls for us. We were in a storeroom for 25 hours with no food or water.&rdquo;&nbsp;Another student, Binyamin Ahmed, recalled 23 boys crammed into a room meant for five.&nbsp;&ldquo;Our principal rescued us from the back door. We are proud of our army.&rdquo;&nbsp;English lecturer Anamullah Khan said the cadets &ldquo;showed bravery beyond their years&rdquo; even as explosions shook the campus.&nbsp;South Waziristan has endured years of conflict, mass displacement, and repeated attacks on schools. Cadet College Wana, established in 2011, was meant to symbolize a turning point. A place to rebuild futures after years of militancy.&nbsp;Its principal, standing amid the rubble of his office, insisted the mission will continue.&nbsp;&ldquo;My staff, my cadets, all of them showed courage,&rdquo; said Principal Usman. &ldquo;This college will not close. Not yesterday, not today, not tomorrow.&rdquo;&nbsp;A local elder put it more simply:&nbsp;&ldquo;They attacked this place because it is our children&rsquo;s future.&rdquo;&nbsp;The attack comes as Pakistan faces a renewed wave of violence, growing political uncertainty, and strained relations with Kabul. But in Wana, amid collapsed roofs and broken walls, the most enduring image remains the students, many hungry, exhausted and cold after nearly 19 hours in hiding, stepping out smiling.&nbsp;In a region long held hostage by militancy, their survival felt like an act of defiance.

Security

In South Waziristan, cadets survived a major terrorist attack near the Afghan border, showing remarkable courage, as Pakistan’s security forces foiled the assault and rescued all safely.

Cadets defy terrorists as Pakistan thwarts major attack near Afghan border

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Saturday urged Afghanistan to prevent the use of its territory for attacks inside Pakistan, as Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi visited Cadet College Wana following this week&rsquo;s Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) assault on the institution. During his visit, Naqvi reiterated Islamabad&rsquo;s repeated demand that Kabul act decisively against militants operating from Afghan soil. &ldquo;Pakistan has repeatedly asked Afghanistan to ensure that its soil is not used for terrorism inside Pakistan,&rdquo; he said, according to a statement issued by Radio Pakistan. Security forces earlier reported that TTP-linked terrorists had rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into the main gate of the college before entering the premises. The attackers were swiftly cornered inside the administrative block as a clearance operation unfolded. According to security sources, all assailants were eliminated. &ldquo;Four Khawarij and one suicide attacker were taken down in a coordinated push, and not a single student or teacher was harmed. The building is now being swept due to the threat of landmines,&rdquo; the sources said. Addressing tribal elders at the college, the interior minister said militants from across the border were involved in multiple recent attacks, including the suicide bombing in Islamabad. He added that Army Chief General Asim Munir had conveyed firm messages to Afghan authorities, stressing that &ldquo;there will be no compromise on terrorism,&rdquo; Radio Pakistan reported. Tribal notables condemned terrorism and expressed full solidarity with Pakistan&rsquo;s security forces, paying tribute to their sacrifices in restoring peace. They affirmed that the local community stands with the armed forces in the fight against militancy. Naqvi also met students and faculty, praising their resilience and composure. Officials briefed the minister on how the attack was repelled and how all students and teachers were evacuated without casualties, APP reported. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif separately condemned the assault, calling it &ldquo;another attempt by khawarij militants to target an educational institution.&rdquo;

Pakistan Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, visiting Wana Cadet College after the TTP attack, urged Afghanistan to stop cross-border terrorism. Security forces neutralized all militants, protected students, and reaffirmed zero tolerance for terrorism

Halt cross-border militancy, Pakistan tells Afghanistan after Wana attack

Pakistan TV Satellite

ISLAMABAD: The arid and rocky terrain of South Waziristan stood out as I peeked out of the cabin window of the helicopter. The vast emptiness of the valley below appeared both impressive and hostile. It was not a routine excursion; over two dozen journalists, both local and foreign, were on their way to Wana where terrorists of Fitna Al Khawarij attacked the Cadet College there. The visit was arranged by the ISPR for journalists to witness the damage caused by the suicide bombing and subsequent engagement of security forces with the terrorists. The attack on 10th November at Cadet College Wana did evoke painful memories of December 16, 2014 attack on APS Peshawar. As we disembarked from the military chopper upon arrival in Wana, a tense cold air greeted us. We headed straight to the college and as we reached the entrance, the scene that we saw was nothing short of mayhem. The gate was destroyed by the suicide blast, with sharpnels lodged in the walls. The axle of the vehicle used in the bombing was still lying around along with a destroyed rickshaw, a motorcycle and a lot more twisted metal.&nbsp;Approximately 100 meters from the entrance was the administration block where three Khawarij hid under the cover of dust that rose following the blast. They aimed for the area housing the cadets &ndash; more than 500 of whom were present at the time of the attack. The administration block housed the office of the principal and other staff members. No room of this building was left intact as the main battle took place there. &nbsp;Shards of glass and window panes were scattered all over the place. The attack took place at a time when students were busy in their evening drills. Shafqat, a first-year student, told Pakistan TV that the college administration had put them through drills for an event like this, but it still came as an unwelcome surprise, especially for the younger cadets. Haider, another cadet, said soon after the blast, the drill masters rushed them to their houses where they remained confined for as long as the operation continued. When reports of the attack reached the top military command, there were specific orders: &quot;no student shall be harmed, come what may&quot;. According to Col. Tahir, commandant South Waziristan Scouts, who led the operation, eliminating the terrorists was not the difficult part, ensuring the safety of students was. A separate plan was devised for the evacuation of cadets while another team of army commandos engaged the Khawarij who were holed up in the admin block. No student or teacher was harmed in the attack and a major tragedy was averted. The tragedy of APS Peshawar was not allowed to be repeated. Outside in the lush green lawn, in stark contrast to the barren landscape of the valley, sat the Maliks of Wana. Concern was clearly written on their faces. The terrorists had crossed a red line which was never crossed even during the worst times in Wana. Irfan Ullah Khan, a respected elder, whose eyes revealed more than his words, said: &ldquo;Let me remind you, the people of Wana are no cowards, they are fighters and they have been braving these terrorists for almost two decades now.&rdquo; He further said even during the worst times, terrorists spared educational institutions because children of the locals studied there and terrorists could not afford to offend them. Irfan Ullah Khan&#39;s hopes of peace and security were anchored in the presence and professionalism of security forces. Despite being concerned, he appeared strong and willing to fight along with security forces for peace in his city. Four terrorists were killed by the security forces, while three soldiers and two civilians embraced martyrdom. As many as 12 people were injured during the attack and subsequent operation by security forces. According to Brigadier Asif, all attackers were Afghans who remained in touch with their contacts in Kabul during the entirety of the attack.Peace in the tribal belt has been disrupted once again after a temporary lull. The security forces are back fighting the terrorists they threw out just a few years ago.

SAT News Desk

A suicide attack hit Cadet College Wana, but security forces evacuated over 500 cadets safely and killed four attackers. Locals condemned the Afghan terrorists and supported the army.

Pak Army proves mettle during Cadet College Wana operation 

ISLAMABAD: Afghan nationals carried out two recent suicide bombings in Pakistan, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said Thursday, as authorities investigate cross-border militant operations.&nbsp;The attacks killed multiple people at an Islamabad court complex on Tuesday and a military cadet college in South Waziristan on Monday.&nbsp;&quot;It has been confirmed that both nationals came from Afghanistan and carried out these suicide attacks,&quot; the minister told reporters. &quot;We are investigating the matter.&quot;&nbsp;Pakistani security sources said Thursday that Noor Wali Mehsud, leader of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militant group, ordered the cadet college attack from Afghanistan.&nbsp;&nbsp;Speaking to a private news channel on Wednesday regarding the suicide attack in Islamabad, Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry stated that the suicide bomber was not a Pakistani, nor did he know the language or currency of Pakistan. &ldquo;We have all the evidence available with us, on the basis of which we named India and Afghanistan as being behind this attack,&rdquo; he added. He also stated that the suicide bomber had rented a motorcycle and a car upon entering Islamabad for the attack.&nbsp;&nbsp;The attackers used American-made weapons supplied from Afghanistan and received operational instructions throughout the assault, according to the sources. They identified the plot&#39;s organizer as &ldquo;Zahid.&rdquo; While Jaish-ul-Hind claimed responsibility for the cadet college attack, security sources revealed the claim was made on Mehsud&#39;s orders to obscure the TTP&rsquo;s involvement amid mounting international pressure on the Afghan Taliban to curb militant activities.&nbsp;&nbsp;The sources said the attack aimed to destabilize Pakistan at the behest of India&#39;s Research and Analysis Wing intelligence agency.&nbsp;Pakistan has consistently raised the issue of Afghanistan&#39;s Taliban regime harboring militants who launch attacks across the border.&nbsp;Pakistani authorities said counterterrorism operations will continue under the government&#39;s National Action Plan and Azm-e-Istehkam security initiatives.&nbsp;&nbsp;The Pakistani Taliban is separate from but allied with Afghanistan&#39;s Taliban regime. The group has escalated attacks since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in 2021.&nbsp;

It was confirmed that Afghan nationals carried out recent suicide attacks in Pakistan with planning, weapons, and support from militants in Afghanistan.

Afghan nationals behind recent suicide attacks in Pakistan: interior minister

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan&rsquo;s security forces are continuing a clearance operation at Cadet College Wana, where three India-backed terrorists remain trapped inside a building, security sources said on Wednesday.&nbsp;According to the sources, around 650 people, including 525 cadets, were present at the college when the attack took place. So far, 115 individuals have been safely rescued, while nearly 535 remain inside the premises. Security forces are conducting the operation with utmost caution to ensure the cadets&rsquo; safety.&nbsp;The three attackers, reportedly of Afghan origin, have been confined to an administrative block and are receiving instructions over the phone from handlers across the border, the sources added. The area has been completely cordoned off, and the evacuation of cadets is progressing gradually.&nbsp;On November 10, the terrorists rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into the college&rsquo;s main gate, destroying it completely and damaging nearby buildings. Security troops responded swiftly, killing two attackers on the spot, while the remaining three were cornered inside the compound.&nbsp;Security officials said the attack was orchestrated by India-sponsored proxies aiming to spread fear by targeting educational institutions and innocent children. They added that the incident disproves claims made by Afghan Taliban authorities that such militants are not operating from Afghan territory.&nbsp;The terrorists are believed to be linked with an Indian proxy outfit, &ldquo;Fitna al-Khawarij&rdquo; or &ldquo;Fitna al-Hindustan,&rdquo; and reportedly tried to replicate the 2014 Army Public School massacre in Peshawar. A message circulating on social media, allegedly from Jaish al-Hind leader Irshadullah Irshad, warned parents not to enroll their children in the college, claiming it trained people against their group.&nbsp;&ldquo;The aim of the attack was to instill fear among parents and students pursuing education in the tribal districts,&rdquo; the sources said, stressing that such cowardly acts will not weaken Pakistan&rsquo;s resolve to fight terrorism.&nbsp;Cadet College Wana, established at the request of local tribes, provides modern education to children of the Mehsud and Wazir tribes and has produced graduates serving across the country.&nbsp;&ldquo;The operation will continue until the last terrorist is eliminated,&rdquo; the sources asserted, adding, &ldquo;Pakistan reserves the right to respond to the terrorist leadership and their networks operating from Afghan soil.&rdquo; Defence Minister Khawaja Asif saluted the soldier who stood against the suicide bombers, saving the lives of schoolchildren, in a post on his social media X.&nbsp;

The incident contradicts claims by Afghan Taliban authorities that such terrorists are not operating from Afghan soil.

Articles tagged with "Wana cadet college"

Cadets defy terrorists as Pakistan thwarts major attack near Afghan border

Halt cross-border militancy, Pakistan tells Afghanistan after Wana attack

Pak Army proves mettle during Cadet College Wana operation

Afghan nationals behind recent suicide attacks in Pakistan: interior minister

115 rescued as security forces continue clearance at Cadet College Wana

Cadets defy terrorists as Pakistan thwarts major attack near Afghan border