All terrorists killed in Cadet College Wana attack; forces carry out landmine sweep

• Sources say operation is to be taken to its logical conclusion.
• Terrorists targeted college with vehicle-borne explosive device.
• Premier says govt determined to eradicate all forms of terrorism.

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All Fitna al-Khawarij terrorists — a term used for the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) — involved in the attack on Cadet College Wana were eliminated after Pakistan's armed forces launched a swift clearance operation, security sources said on Tuesday.

“Four Khawarij and one suicide bomber who stormed the cadet college were killed in a coordinated push. Not a single student or teacher was harmed, and the building is now being swept for landmines,” sources privy to the matter said.

Security forces have successfully rescued all students and teachers from the cadet college as the clearance operation entered its conclusive phase on Tuesday, according to security sources.

According to security sources, the operation will now be carried out comprehensively to its logical conclusion. The cautious approach was necessary due to the presence of Afghan Khawarij inside the college and the paramount need to ensure the safety of the cadets' lives, they added.

Attackers to be exposed

Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar has said that investigations into the Islamabad and Wana incidents will be pursued, and firm evidence will be shared with friendly countries and international forums.

"An inquiry into the Islamabad and Wana attacks will expose anyone involved in terrorism to the world," Tarar told Geo News, hailing the Pakistan Armed Forces for a successful operation against the militants who attacked the cadet college.

Describing the operation as difficult and sensitive, the information minister that that it could have been an incident ten times the scale of the APS attack.

"The forces saved students with great skill, and 550 students were rescued successfully, calling the outcome a major achievement."

He further said that Pakistan had recently thwarted military incursions by India and Afghanistan, and reiterated the demand that Afghan territory must not be used against Pakistan, and that the facilitation of militants from Afghanistan must stop.

"Investigations into the Islamabad and Wana incidents will continue, that concrete evidence will be shared with partner countries and international bodies, and that a course of action will be drawn up once further proof of involvement is obtained and the culprits will be exposed before the world," he said.

'State of war'

A suicide bomber martyred 12 people in the federal capital on Tuesday in a sharp escalation of militant violence that the Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said had pushed the country into a "state of war".

Pakistan has accused Afghanistan of complicity in the bloodshed — an accusation Kabul denied — and vowed retaliation if Afghan authorities failed to rein in the militants Islamabad says were responsible.

"We are in a state of war," said the defence minister after the attack, the first strike on civilians in Islamabad in a decade. "Bringing this war to Islamabad is a message from Kabul, to which Pakistan has the full power to respond."

Hostage-taking

Speaking to journalists earlier, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi confirmed that at least three people were martyred during the Wana cadet college operation.

"Terrorists tried to take people hostage inside the cadet college but did not succeed,” he said, adding that attackers were in contact with their handlers in Afghanistan.

A day earlier, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that Indian-backed terrorists attacked Cadet College Wana, with security forces eliminating two attackers and trapping three inside.

Meanwhile, security forces in a statement earlier today said that an operation was underway against terrorists, belonging to an Indian proxy, Fitna al-Khwarij, who took shelter inside Wana Cadet College.

They said that the terrorists had targeted the college with a vehicle-borne explosive device, which struck the main gate and damaged nearby buildings. Two militants were killed during an immediate response by the security forces.

Instructions from Afghanistan

“The militants were receiving instructions from Afghanistan and are hiding in a building located far from cadet residences,” said security sources.

The sources said that at the time of the attack, approximately 650 individuals, including 525 cadets, were inside the college.

Aimed at instilling fear amongst the young generation of erstwhile tribal areas who are acquiring quality education at their doorstep to excel in life and achieve a better future for not only themselves and their families but also for their communities.

"This blatant act of barbarism orchestrated by Khwarij from Afghanistan is in contrast to assertions made by the Afghan Taliban regime claiming non-presence of these terrorist groups on their soil. Pakistan reserves the right to respond against terrorists and their leadership present in Afghanistan," the military said.

UN's Guterres 'deeply saddened'

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has expressed sorrow over the deadly suicide bombing in Pakistan and a car bombing in India, a spokesman said Tuesday.

Guterres is "deeply saddened" by the reported suicide attack in Islamabad. He extends his condolences to the families of the victims and wishes a full recovery to those injured, Farhan Haq told reporters.

"The secretary general condemns acts of violence and terrorism in the strongest terms. He reiterates that all perpetrators of terrorism must be held accountable, and he calls for a full investigation," Haq added.

Peace talks collapse

The attack comes days after peace talks between the Afghan Taliban regime and Pakistan broke down, although a ceasefire continues between the two neighbours.

Last week, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said negotiations between Pakistan and Afghanistan had been suspended, with “no programme for the fourth round of talks”.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in a statement today, urged Kabul to rein in militant groups, including the TTP operating from Afghan soil, framing it as the prerequisite for durable peace in the region.

Speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the Parliamentary Speakers’ Conference on Tuesday, he said a stable Afghanistan is essential for connectivity, growth and prosperity.

“Afghanistan must realise that lasting peace can only be realised by reining in TTP and other terrorist groups operating from Afghan territory,” he said.

Pakistan is locked in confrontation with Kabul and New Delhi, fighting a four-day war with India in May and then last month carrying out airstrikes in Afghanistan, including Kabul, targeting TTP militants, holed up there.

 Subsequent skirmishes on the Pakistan-Afghan border were followed by unsuccessful peace talks.

The TTP or Khawarij militants have, in recent years, focused attacks on security forces. Civilians had not been hit in Islamabad for a decade, according to Armed Conflict Location and Event Data, a group that tracks attacks.