A girls' school in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province was bombed, highlighting the continued threat to education and the safety of students in the region.
Key Points
- A government girls' school in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, was destroyed by a bomb blast.
- No group has claimed responsibility, but suspicion falls on groups opposing girls' education.
- Over 450 schools in the province have been destroyed in similar attacks in the last decade.
- The attack highlights the ongoing threat to education, particularly for girls, in the region.
- A separate incident saw a civilian killed and CTD personnel injured in a shooting in Mohmand district.
Unidentified armed men blew up a government girls' school in Pakistan's northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Thursday, police said.
The incident occurred in Ghora village, Baka Khel area of Bannu district, which borders north Waziristan.
Assailants had allegedly planted explosive material inside the Government Primary School Noor Jan Baka Khel. The powerful blast completely destroyed the school building, police said.
Security forces cordoned off the area and launched a search operation to trace those involved.
No group has claimed responsibility for the bombing so far.
However, splinter groups of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) active in Tank district are known to oppose education for girls and frequently target such institutions.
According to data collected by local NGOs, over 450 schools in the province have been destroyed in similar attacks over the last decade, forcing students to either abandon their education or attend classes amid ruins and rubble.
Other Violence in the Region
In another incident on Thursday, a civilian was killed and three Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) personnel were injured when unidentified gunmen opened fire in Safi tehsil area of Mohmand district bordering Afghanistan.
Mohmand District Police Officer Raza Muhammad and the Superintendent of Police visited the hospital in Ghalanai to monitor the medical facilities and check on the injured, who were later shifted to another facility.
The attackers fled after the firing incident, police said.
