Massacre: Taliban Storms Pakistan School, Killing 126, Mostly Children
December 16th, 2014Via: USA Today:
Taliban gunmen stormed a school in Pakistan on Tuesday, killing at least 126 people, mostly children, that country’s government said.
Hours after the attack, it was still not clear if hostages were being held or whether the militants were killed by Pakistan’s military.
The attack began in the early morning, with the gunmen entering the school — a military-run facility in the northwestern city of Peshawar with students in grades 1-10 — and shooting at random, said police officer Javed Khan. Army commandos quickly arrived at the scene and exchanged fire with the gunmen, he said.
Mushtaq Ghani, the province’s information minister, said most of the dead were students, children and teenagers.
Bahramand Khan, director of information for the regional Chief Minister’s Secretariat, said 122 people were wounded, Reuters reported.
Taliban spokesman Mohammed Khurasani claimed responsibility for the attack in a phone call to media, saying that six suicide bombers carried out the attack in revenge for the killings of Taliban members at the hands of Pakistani authorities. The army said five militants were killed, according to Reuters.
