World Mourns The Loss Of Innocence As The Images of Taliban Massacre Emerges
GRAPHIC CONTENT WARNING
In the deadliest slaughter of innocents in Pakistan in years, Taliban gunmen attacked a military-run school last Tuesday and killed 141 people — almost all of them students — before government troops ended the siege.
Known to have a reputation for being against educating women, the attack came shortly after Malala Yousafazi won the Nobel Peace Prize recently, a staunch advocate for girl’s education in the country, and is herself a victim of Taliban’s anti-education agenda.
A view of the blood stained auditorium of Army Public School that was attacked by the Taliban militants in Peshawar/ EPA/BILAWAL ARBAB/ Independent.co.uk
Tehrik-e-Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack stating that, “We selected the army's school for the attack because the government is targeting our families and females. We want them to feel the pain." The attack began at 10 am when armed gunman entered the school and opened fire on unassuming students and teachers inside the building where witnesses heard gunfire and explosives for hours after the attacked had started, which went on till 6 p.m.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif declared three days of mourning over the massacre, which has sparked national outrage. Pakistan government ordered closure of all educational institutions in Punjab province fearing backlash from terrorists in the wake of its decision to execute hundreds of inmates on death row.
"The winter vacation were due from December 24 to December 31 but on the reports of the intelligence agencies that terrorists can target schools and other educational institutions in reaction to hanging their death row fellows, the government has decided to call early winter holidays from December 19 to January 9," an official of Punjab home department told PTI.
He also announced an end to the moratorium on the death penalty for terrorism cases, which correspondents say is a move aimed at countering a view held by many Pakistanis that many terror suspects end up evading justice.
World leaders have also voiced disgust at the attack, which even the Afghan Taliban have criticized.
Inside a classroom show the level of destruction/ BBC
According to Washington post, the mass tragedy of children in the military zone in the northeastern city of Peshawar drew condemnation from around the world barring religious and political boundaries. Many analysts have suggested that after the suicide attacks on markets, mosques, hotels, and military base, this attack has taken the violence too far and may be a turning point for the nation and the government to finally face the Taliban. Furthermore, this has been one of the highest death tolls in Pakistan’s recent years since 2007 when 150 people were killed in Karachi during the celebrations of the return of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, from self-exile. Bhutto was unfortunately exiled assassinated soon after the attacks.
Khalid Khan, 13, who was witness to the attacks, told Huffington Post, “They opened fire at the students and then went out. The army doctor and soldiers managed to escape and we locked the doors from inside. But very soon they came, broke the doors and entered and again started firing." The gunmen were brutal and shot kids who tried to hide under the desks anyway. Khan continued sobbing, “They killed most of my class mates and then I didn't know what happened as I was brought to the hospital.”
BBC's Mishal Husain explains the scene as he stands on the school ground, after the attacks, "I am standing now at the bottom of the white stone steps that lead up to the auditorium. There are bloodstains running right down the steps and towards the auditorium itself. There is a child's shoe on one of the steps. The auditorium, where children were taking exams, was one of the places within the school grounds that the militants first targeted."
Meanwhile, Pakistan's army chief General Raheel Sharif is in the Afghan capital, Kabul, on a surprise visit to discuss security co-operation aimed at tackling the Taliban insurgency.
The Army school is Peshawar, which is located at the edge of the country’s tribal belt is operated by the army. While it enrolls civilian students, many of its students are primarily children of army officials, the Taliban’s intended target for the attack.
Featured Image:independent – Army Public School/ Journalists inspect the premises of Army Public School/ EPA/BILAWALARBAB
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