This is the first incident of terrorism to have occurred in the agency in two years. PHOTO: AFP
SHABQADAR: A government-run primary school for boys was blown up and damaged in Mohmand Agency, Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) on Friday, with the attack being the first on a school in almost two years.
Political administration official upper Mohmand Agency said the incident occurred in Chamarkand area after some miscreants planted explosives in the school premises late Thursday night. No loss of life was reported.
The blast left the school building, including two rooms and the veranda of the building damaged. Security forces cordoned off the area on Friday and a search operation commenced in the area.
Meanwhile, a splinter group of Tehreek-e-Taliban-Pakistan (TTP) Jamat-ul-Ahrar in a statement claimed responsibility of attack on the school "for promoting western values."
This is the first act of terrorism to have occurred in almost two years, as no educational or health institution was targeted in 2015.
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So far, more than 120 schools have been destroyed by militants in Mohmand, mostly in the Safi tehsil of Mohmand Agency. With regard to rebuilding the area, Fata secretariat education department, financially assisted by the UAE government, reconstructed more than 70 schools in Mohmand while reconstruction in other such institutions is ongoing. Similarly, Pakistan Army has reconstructed schools in some part of the agency with its own resources.
On Wednesday, a member of the Khasadar Force was killed in a roadside blast in the Safi area. Local administration officials said the blast was triggered by an improvised explosive device that was planted by unidentified miscreants near Karkanai Post in the Qandhari Safi area.
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A tribal agency official called upon tribesmen to maintain the highest level of vigilance and inform the administration about the activities of suspected militants. Over the past few days, the law and order situation has deteriorated especially in the Safi tehsil.
On Tuesday, two members of the Levies Force lost their lives in IED blasts in the Safi tehsil. A string of attacks has been carried out on security officials in the last few days.
Operation Zarb-e-Azb was launched in the country in June 2014 to purge the far-flung areas of the country of terrorist elements and rebuilt the areas affected by militancy.
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