Pakistan: Terrorists torch girls’ middle school in North Waziristan

North Waziristan [Pakistan], May 30 (ANI): Some unidentified terrorists torched a girls’ middle school in the Razmak tehsil of North Waziristan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan destroying furniture, computers and books, police said on Wednesday, Dawn reported. This is latest in a series of such attacks.

According to officials, there were no casualties in the incident

An official told Dawn that on Monday night some unidentified attackers entered the building of Golden Arrow Girls Middle School in Shakhimar village of Razmak tehsil and set it on fire. The fire gutted the furniture, ceiling, computers, books and other equipment.

Abrar, a member of Shakhimar Welfare Organisation, told Dawn the school was constructed by an organisation along with Pakistan Army’s 7th Division in 2020.

In March this year, unknown attackers destroyed the school’s solar power system, causing panic among the students. However, local elders convinced the girls to continue their education.

Recently, attacks on schools have surged in North and South Waziristan. On May 9, terrorists set fire to a girls’ private school in the Shawa area of South Waziristan. Similarly, on May 17, unidentified terrorists bombed an under-construction girls’ private school in Lower South Waziristan.

Meanwhile, Usman Mehsud, the additional Station house officer of Azam Warsak Police Station, Lower South Waziristan district, narrowly survived a remote-control bomb attack targeting his vehicle on Monday.

Station house officer Azam Warsak Zabiullah Wazir told Dawn that the blast took place about 150m from the police station in which the vehicle of Mr Mehsud was targeted. He said Mr Mehsud escaped unhurt, adding that the officer’s car was damaged in the attack.

According to police sources, in the May 9 explosion, the militants first tortured the watchman of the school and later blew up two rooms of the building. There was, however, no injury or loss of life in the explosion, Dawn reported.

Earlier, in May last year, two government schools for girls in Mirali (a town in Pakistan) witnessed similar attacks, with no casualties reported, as per Dawn.

Around 500 girls were enrolled in the two schools, Government Girls Middle School Noor Jannat and Government Girls Middle School Yunus Kot which were targeted by the attackers around midnight.

These schools were the only private girls’ educational facilities in the area and had previously received multiple threat letters.