Pakistani Army Destroys School
Security forces blew up an Islamic school today that was allegedly used as a militant base in a northwestern Pakistani tribal region, hours after rebels destroyed a nearby army post, officials said.
No one was inside the privately run Khalifa Islami Madrasa near the North Waziristan region’s main town of Miram Shah when it was demolished in a continuing military crackdown on Islamic militants near the Afghan border.
The building was used mainly by Afghan students.
The violence came amid strained Pakistani-Afghan relations over militant attacks on both sides of the border. On Monday, Pakistan ordered all Afghans living in North Waziristan to return home.
Officials believe that Afghan militants have backed Pakistani tribal rebels in the recent unrest in North Waziristan and are being sheltered by refugees. Emboldened militants are proving difficult to contain for Pakistan’s stretched security forces in the region.
The demolition followed a homemade bomb attack late Tuesday on a security post along the road between Miram Shah and the nearby town of Razmak, a local government official said. No casualties were reported.
North Waziristan witnessed clashes this month between Islamic extremists and security forces that killed more than 100 militants and eight soldiers.
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