PESHAWAR, Pakistan: Pakistan’s security forces are continuing an operation to eliminate three “India-sponsored” Afghan terrorists who are hiding inside the Wana Cadet College in South Waziristan district of northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, security sources said on Tuesday.
The three attackers, identified as Afghan nationals, are holed up in one of the college’s administrative buildings located at a safe distance from the cadets’ residential quarters, security sources said.
Security sources said the operation is being conducted with “exceptional skill and caution” to ensure the safety of the students inside the college.
According to security sources, the terrorists are receiving instructions from handlers in Afghanistan over the phone.
Around 650 people, including 525 students, were inside the college when the terrorist attacked. So far, 115 persons have been rescued, with the remaining cadets being gradually evacuated, security sources said.
The attack began on Monday when the Afghan terrorists rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into the main gate, destroying the entrance and damaging nearby buildings, security sources said. Security forces immediately engaged the terrorists, killing two on the spot.
Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said on Tuesday that “three people were martyred” during the ongoing clearance operation but said all students and staff had been moved to safe place.
“There were around 550 students and nearly 40 teachers inside the college. By the grace of God, our soldiers saved everyone there,” he told reporters in Islamabad.
Naqvi said the Afghan terrorists had planned to take hostages but failed. He added that communication between the attackers and their handlers in Afghanistan continued throughout the night.
“We are very clear that Afghanistan is directly involved in this entire attack,” the minister said. “The terrorists were Afghan nationals and were in contact with their people across the border.”
The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing, said the attack was carried out by members of “Fitna al-Khawarij,” an Indian proxy terrorist group operating from Afghanistan.
Security sources said the attackers had tried to replicate the 2014 Peshawar Army Public School massacre, but their plans were foiled by the swift response of security personnel.
“The Khawarij from Afghanistan once again tried to repeat the barbaric act of terrorism carried out in the Army Public School in 2014,” a security source said.
The military’s media wing ISPR added that Pakistan “reserves the right to respond against terrorists and their leadership present in Afghanistan.”
Security sources said the remaining three terrorists have been cornered in one of the college’s buildings, and the operation will continue until the last terrorist is eliminated.
On Monday, the ISPR said the attack was part of a series of recent assaults by terrorists linked to “Fitna al-Khawarij.”
Over the weekend, security forces killed 20 terrorists in separate intelligence-based operations in North Waziristan and Dara Adam Khel districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, and four more in Balochistan’s Kalat district.
🎥🇵🇰💥#NEW: CCTV footage of yesterday’s suicide bomber targeting Wana Cadet college in Waziristan has been released.
The vehicle rammed into the main gate causing a massive explosion. pic.twitter.com/x2pfNhnZTY
— Khilafat Defense (@khilafatdefense) November 11, 2025
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack and urged Afghanistan’s Taliban regime to act against terrorist groups operating from its soil.
“Afghanistan must realise that lasting peace can only be achieved by reining in the TTP and other terrorist groups operating from Afghan territory,” he said while addressing the Parliamentary Speakers’ Conference in Islamabad on Tuesday.
This is the latest from cadet college Wana. Many Young cadets evacuated and others will be rescued soon. pic.twitter.com/uU5ZWhvKAS
— Hamid Mir حامد میر (@HamidMirPAK) November 11, 2025
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said last week that talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan had been suspended, citing the Taliban’s inaction against terrorist sanctuaries.
Pakistan has faced a surge in terrorist attacks over the past year, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, after the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) ended its ceasefire with the government in late 2022.
Security officials said Tuesday’s attack aimed to spread fear among students in the tribal areas who are pursuing education for a better future.
“Terrorists attacking innocent tribal children have no connection with Islam or the prosperity of Pakistan’s people,” a security source said.
