A government girls’ middle school was destroyed in a late-night terrorist attack in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Lakki Marwat district, marking yet another assault on educational infrastructure in the province amid a series of similar attacks targeting schools.
According to police, terrorists planted explosive material at the Government Girls Middle School located in Shah Hassan Khel, within the jurisdiction of Lakki City Police Station. The explosives detonated during the night, causing extensive damage to classrooms and sections of the school building, including its boundary walls.
No casualties were reported as the school was closed at the time of the attack. Police and security personnel reached the scene soon after the explosion, cordoned off the area and launched an investigation to determine those responsible.
The latest attack follows a disturbing pattern of education-related terrorism across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. On July 21, education-hostile terrorists belonging to Fitna al-Khwarij destroyed the Government Middle School in Loi Kharki, Bajaur, using explosive devices.
Earlier, on July 2, terrorists attempted to blow up a government girls’ middle school in Bannu, although the attack did not achieve the level of destruction witnessed in the latest incident.
Similar attacks targeting schools have repeatedly been reported from Tank, Lakki Marwat, North and South Waziristan, as well as other southern districts of the province, highlighting what security officials describe as a sustained campaign by terrorist groups to intimidate local communities and disrupt access to education, particularly for girls.
Security forces and law enforcement agencies have intensified counterterrorism operations across southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa following a recent surge in terrorist violence. In recent days, security personnel foiled a vehicle-borne suicide attack in Tank, while clearance and intelligence-based operations have continued in Bannu and adjoining districts against Fitna al-Khwarij operatives.
Authorities have reiterated that operations against terrorist networks will continue and that those involved in attacks on civilians and educational institutions will be pursued under the law.
