NEWS
EVENTS
First Sydney, Now Peshawar. Innocent Lives Continue to be Taken in the Name of a Holy War
It took the Pakistani army an hour and a half to surround the school under attack. Around 500 students and teachers were said to be in the school in Peshawar, Pakistan when the Taliban hit.
The gunmen opened fire on the school and put dozens of victims into a “critical medical condition” before the Pakistani army had time to block off the area. After an hour and a half, the building was sealed off, with helicopters looking on from above and ambulances ferrying victims to nearby hospitals.
Horrific #Taliban attack on Peshawar school children comes days after Malala, survivor of Taliban murder attempt, accepts Nobel peace honor.
— Peter Bouckaert (@bouckap) December 16, 2014
The attack was a planned retaliation by the Taliban for the deaths of their fighters during recent clashes in North Waziristan and the neighbouring Khyber area. Taliban spokesman, Muhammad Umar Kharasani stated: “Our six fighters have successfully entered the army school and we are giving them instructions. We will take more such extreme steps if the army do not stop the operation and killing of our prisoners”.
He went on to say that such “extreme steps” will continue to take place in institutions connected with the Pakistani army unless they stop the “extra judicial killing of our detainees”.
He indicated that instructions had been given not to attack or harm children at the school, even though the attack was specifically initiated during exam time, when all the children were in the building at the time. Furthermore, according to the Telegraph, at least 82 children have been confirmed dead and according to the Pakistani army, were killed by the Taliban gunmen during the attack.
"My son was in uniform in the morning. He is in a casket now. My son was my dream. My dream has been killed." http://t.co/XHCk7JtnBl
— Ishaan Tharoor (@ishaantharoor) December 16, 2014
Recent reports suggest that the operation is now coming to a close. The total number of deaths is currently 135 with 114 injured, and seems to be rising by the hour. Track the action as it unfolds here.
On Monday it was a cafe in Sydney, Tuesday a school in Pakistan. Innocent lives continue to be taken in the name of the so called 'Holy War'. These incidents clearly show that the Taliban may have been wounded, but are certainly not about to be suppressed.
