It could have been another nightmare, a repeat of the horrific 2014 Peshawar school massacre that scarred Pakistan forever. But this time, security forces acted fast, fierce, and flawlessly.
In a dramatic overnight operation, Pakistani troops eliminated all five Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terrorists, including a suicide bomber, after they launched a brazen assault on a military-run Cadet College in South Waziristan. The attack, which began late Monday, saw gunfire, explosions, and a desperate bid by the attackers to turn the college into a killing ground.
According to a senior security official, the terrorists rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into the main gate before storming the campus. Two of them, including the suicide bomber, were killed instantly in the blast, but three more managed to infiltrate the college grounds, triggering a tense standoff.
Inside, chaos unfolded, more than 600 people, including students, teachers, and civilian staff, were trapped as security forces raced to rescue them. Every life was pulled to safety before a final, decisive push saw the remaining terrorists cornered and killed inside the administrative block.
The operation has now concluded, though teams are still combing through the college building to clear potential improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
Officials say the militants, linked to the TTP faction Fitna al Khawarij, had support from handlers across the border in Afghanistan, a recurring flashpoint in Islamabad’s fight against terrorism.
“The terrorists tried to recreate the horror of 2014,” said a security source, referring to the Army Public School massacre in Peshawar that left nearly 150 people dead, most of them children. “But our forces didn’t let history repeat itself.”
That 2014 attack, carried out by six TTP militants, remains one of the darkest days in Pakistan’s modern history. The man behind it, Khalifa Mansoor, was killed in a US drone strike in 2017, but his network continues to orchestrate cross-border attacks from Afghan soil, a claim Kabul denies.
For now, the quick and coordinated response in Wana has spared Pakistan another national tragedy. But the message is clear: the threat of TTP violence hasn’t gone away, it’s evolved, and it’s waiting for another chance.
