Militants destroyed two government schools in remote parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Tank district after planting explosives under the cover of night, police said. Both buildings suffered extensive damage, though no casualties were reported.
According to officials, the attackers targeted the schools in line with their long standing anti education agenda. Police reached the sites soon after the blasts, cordoned off the areas, and launched investigations.
The latest strikes come amid a worrying rise in assaults on educational institutions and government facilities across the province, a pattern that has intensified over recent months.
A wider pattern of targeting education
In Oct, terrorists of the banned TTP, also known as Fitna al-Khawarij, blew up the Government Girls Primary School in Gara Buddha village of Tank district. The attack was carried out by commanders Shah Zeb, also known as Jarrar, and Hidayatullah, who detonated explosives during the night. This faction has repeatedly targeted schools and colleges in Tank, Bannu, and other districts, in addition to killing teachers, students, and civilians.
In Sep, the same group continued its violent campaign across Lakki Marwat, Tank, and Bannu, attacking schools and healthcare centres. In Bannu’s Bakakhel area, militants seized one educational institution and shut down another. In Tank’s Chini Machan Khel, they demolished a hospital, depriving residents of vital treatment. Several schools in Chini Machan Khel and Lakki Machan Khel were also targeted, cutting children off from education and inflicting long term damage on community development.
These repeated attacks have turned essential public institutions into battlegrounds, threatening not just lives but the social and economic future of the region.
Communities urged to stand firm
The continued targeting of schools has deepened fears among locals, who warn that failure to resist the extremists will allow further destruction. Authorities have stressed that facilitators and collaborators of these militants must face strict legal action, and that security forces can effectively defeat this threat with active public support.
Only firm community cooperation and collective resolve can help the people of Lakki Marwat, Tank, and Bannu reclaim peace and safeguard their children’s future from those determined to destroy it.
