Militants blew up a girls' high school in the troubled Darra Adam Khel region in northwestern Pakistan after warning the students to stop attending classes and to join madrassas. The nine-room school building at Akhurwal was completely destroyed by the explosion late on Monday night. The school's administration had earlier received letters warning it to close the institution. Handbills purportedly distributed by local militants two days ago warned girls to stop going to schools and to join seminaries.
Pakistani security forces had recently conducted a major operation against pro-Taliban militants in the Darra Adam Khel area. However, reports said that the militants had resurfaced and increased their activities despite the presence of hundreds of army and paramilitary troops in the area. Over the past three day, militants have destroyed three security check posts and a government school building.