Pakistan, July 19 -- An explosives-laden vehicle moving towards Wana was designed to turn a populated town into a killing field. That catastrophe was prevented because Pakistan's security forces detected the plot, destroyed the vehicles and killed one terrorist. Five others were injured. It was the second such success in Wana within days, after another vehicle-borne assault on a military post was foiled.

This was intelligence-led prevention that saved soldiers and civilians before funerals had to be counted. In June, Pakistan recorded 108 terrorist attacks, including four suicide attacks and three vehicle-borne bombings. During the first half of 2026, terrorism and counterterrorism violence claimed 2,166 lives, among them 404 civilians a...