17 Children, others killed as Taliban storm Pakistan school

17 Children, others killed as Taliban storm Pakistan school



A group of gunmen have stormed an army-run school in the Pakistani city of Peshawar, killing at least 22 people — including 17 children.

The Pakistan Taliban — Tehreek e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) — claimed responsibility for the attack Tuesday.

Two teachers and an army official were also among those killed, while 47 people were wounded, according to Shehram Khan, health minister for the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The Pakistan military said a rescue operation involving its troops is currently underway at the school, with gunfire being exchanged. It added that the bulk of the students and staff have now been evacuated.

In a telephone call to CNN, a spokesman for the TTP, who identified himself as Mohammed Khurrassani, claimed that six suicide bombers entered the school compound with orders to kill older students.

He said the attack was revenge for the “Zarb e Azb, Khyber-1 military operation and revenge of dumped bodies of detained prisoners.”

For the past few months, the Pakistan military has been conducting a ground offensive aimed at clearing out militants in its restive regions along the border with Afghanistan. The campaign has displaced tens of thousands of people.

posted from Bloggeroid

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By Unknown on Tuesday, 16 December 2014