ISLAMABAD, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- Officials in Pakistan's northern areas said on Sunday that the law enforcement agencies have killed a suspected terrorist after militants attacked nearly 12 schools in the region.
The attackers ransacked and torched schools, most of which were girls' schools, in Diamer district of Gilgit-Baltistan late Thursday.
No one was injured as schools were closed at the time of what the authorities view as coordinated attacks.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks, which have been widely been condemned in Pakistan and abroad.
Police chief in Gilgit-Baltistan Sanaullah Abbasi said that the police and other law enforcement agencies have killed a suspect after a major search operation was launched on Saturday to apprehend the culprits.
Abbasi told reporters in the region that a suspect was killed during the search operation in Diamer district. A police man also lost life in firing exchange with the miscreants, he said.
The police chief said that 17 suspects have been arrested since the operation had been started on Saturday. He said the suspect had "received training in Afghanistan."
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has condemned the incident in a statement.
"UNICEF firmly believes that education is a fundamental right of every girl and boy, everywhere. Attacks on schools rob children of their basic right to education and have a devastating impact on their lives," the UNICEF office in Pakistan said late on Saturday.
Caretaker Prime Minister of Pakistan Nasir-ul-Mulk has also strongly condemned the attacks and has instructed the authorities to investigate what he called "cowardly act by the enemies of education."
