It was a horror-filled day for Pakistan when a group of heavily armed Taliban fighters attacked a military-run school in Peshawar on Tuesday. The offensive claimed the lives of 126 people, mostly students of the school. This attack marks the country's bloodiest attacks in recent weeks.
It was reported that the Pakistani army is still fighting the militants' hours after the attack occurred. The perpetrators took over the Pakistani Army Public School and Degree College located in Peshawar which is located more than 120 miles from Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan.
Witnesses who are within the area when the attack happened claimed that two large explosions were heard. Around 3 P.M. Tuesday, reports are still unclear as to how many of the students and teachers were injured or worst, killed. Before evening enveloped the whole city the Pakistani military have contained the attackers and even manage to kill four of them.
Chief Minister Pervez Khattak of Pakhtunkwa province said that most of those who died were children between ages 12 and 16.
The group calling themselves Tehreek e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed that the six suicide bombers have orders to kill both students and teachers the school without exception. Official statements also stated that they have 300 to 400 people in custody.
TTP spokesperson Mohammed Khurrassani said that the attack is in retaliation for the murder of hundreds of innocent tribesmen killed in a series of army operations within the province of South and North Waziristan and stretching as far as the Khyber Agency. Pakistan military forces have been constantly conducting ground offensive in a mission to clear out militant forces in these areas. The operation left thousands of innocent people displaced due to the hostility in the area.
The Taliban and Pakistani government have recently entered into peace negotiations. As a sign of its commitment to bring peace to the region, the Pakistani government released 19 Taliban fighters. The peace negotiations ended up in pieces due to attacks brought up by the Taliban in different regions of the country.
