Pakistan-violence

Girls' school bombed; UN urges safety for displaced

Article published on the 2009-06-25 Latest update 2009-06-25 14:44 TU

A truck full of men go through a mountain pass in Buner district
(Credit: Reuters)

A girls' school was blown up in the northwestern city of Peshawar, police officials in the area said on Thursday, who blamed the bombing on Taliban militants. No one was killed in the attack, but the blast destroyed the entire building. The attack was only three days after two schools were bombed, one in the northwestern city of Peshawar and another in the Bjaur tribal area.

"A girls' high school was blown up early Thursday morning in Shin Warsak town" near the main city in the south Waziristan tribal region, said local government official Allah Bagh Khan.

Armed rebels have destroyed at least 200 girls' schools in the northwest Swat Valley during a two-year Taliban campaign to enforce Sharia law.

 This comes as UN officials urge Pakistani officals to secure the northwest area before two million internally displaced (IDPs) return home.

The military launched a ground and air offensive in the Swat valley against Taliban fighters in late April. They have told IDPs that they can return home, but isolated pockets of violence, including the girls' school bombing, continue to be carried out.

 "We're concerned about security. We have to assess the situation not only on the main roads but also in villages," UN humanitarian coordinator Martin Mogwanja said at a press conference in Islamabad.

The UN appealed for 543 million dollars to help the IDPs, but so far only 36 per cent of the money has been received from international donors.

"It's very important that IDPs who come back have an appropriate set of conditions including security, safety, food, water, education, sanitation," he added. UN humanitarian coordinator Martin Mogwanja said at a press conference in Islamabad.