PESHAWAR (PAN): Suspected militants blew up another girls' school in Pakistan's lawless Khyber tribal region in the night between Wednesday and Thursday, locals and officials said.

The higher secondary school for girls was bombed in Kalenga Akakhel area of Bara sub-division of Khyber Agency. The incident is the second of its type in less than one week.

Earlier, a high school for girls was destroyed in Kari Garhi area of Bara, where the Pakistani security forces are conducting a two-month long operation codenamed Bia Daraghlam or here I come again.

The Bara area of Khyber Agency has been under the influence of militant outfit Lashkar-e-Islam or the army of Islam over the past few years. However, the group, headed by a bus conductor-turned warlord Mangal Bagh, never posed threat to schools, hospitals or other governmental buildings.

Locals said they heard a huge blast in the midnight and found the school building was flattened by the huge explosion.

Security guard of the school, who did not want to be named fearing the militants, said armed men came in three pick-up trucks. They blindfolded the guard and blasted the building by planting explosives.

Local officials said around 450 girls were studying in the school. They said educational institutions were closed over the past one and half month due to the ongoing military operation against militants in the area.

dk