Girls' primary school destroyed in blast in Lower South Waziristan

LOWER SOUTH WAZIRISTAN: A government girls' primary school was destroyed in an overnight blast in the Sara Ghowara area of Birmal tehsil, police said on Wednesday, in the latest attack on an educational institution in the district.

District Police Officer Muhammad Tahir Shah said unidentified assailants used explosive material late on Tuesday night, causing the school building to collapse. He said police had entered an initial report in the daily log and started an investigation into the incident.

No group had claimed responsibility for the blast at the time of reporting. Local police and residents said attacks on schools have risen in Lower South Waziristan in recent months. Two schools in Birmal tehsil had previously been targeted in February and March.

Residents and local community leaders said such attacks undermine education and deepen risks for children in the area, especially girls in remote localities who already face difficulties in getting access to schooling. Similar incidents have occurred elsewhere in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including the destruction of a government girls' school in Mir Ali, North Waziristan, in December 2025, and another blast at a government girls' primary school in Lakki Marwat's Wanda Zahidgul area in October.