South waziristan: Girls school blown up in Wana

DERA ISMAIL KHAN:

Government Primary School for Girls in Sirki Kot, Kari Kot was blown up by unidentified militants at 3.30am on Thursday, said a political administration official.

Explosive devices had been planted in the verandah of the school. The explosion destroyed the verandah along with two other rooms while doors and windows across the school were also damaged.

Taj Muhammad, a resident of Sirki Kot, said he was asleep at home when he heard a loud explosion. When he ventured to the site in the morning, he discovered three bombs had been planted in the verandah – but only one had detonated.

The other two devices were defused in the morning.

Fortunately, there were no casualties. The same school was targeted a month prior to the attack on Thursday.

Though educational institutions have been targeted in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, Wana is one of the few areas where public and private schools have remained comparatively safe.

Both male and female enrollment in Wana has increased during the ongoing war on terror in the region.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 5^th, 2013.