Live updates: Over 148 killed in attack on Peshawar school, says K-P CM

Life lived on principles By Riaz Ahmed Published: December 18, 2014 Tahira Qazi. PHOTO: FILE PESHAWAR: She was the principal of the Army Public School and Colleges System, Peshawar, since 2006 and had 20 years of teaching experience. Tahira Qazi was one of the pioneers of the school. On Tuesday morning, when the news emerged on TV channels that she had been taken hostage along with other staffers, it sent her son and husband into a state of panic. Even after the hours-long army operation finally ended around 5:30pm, her body couldn’t be retrieved. Reason: it was found in a place littered with IEDs. It took several hours of effort to defuse the bombs and reach her body. The family received the body late at night. Tahira Qazi had a master’s degree in political science from University of Peshawar.

“She was the mother of three. A daughter and two sons, one of them is physically challenged,” said Imran, a relative while talking to The Express Tribune, adding that she was an aged woman and could easily save her life but she tried to protect the children and was taken hostage by the militants.

She was laid to rest in her ancestral graveyard in Landi Arbab village on the outskirts of the city. Thousands of people attended her funeral. Babar Bin Atta, one of her students who is now a consultant with WHO, shared his memories: “In 1994 she became my teacher. She was the English teacher in sixth and seventh grades, through 1994 to 1995. I knew her daughter before I knew Madam Qazi,” he said. “Her daughter Arifa was with me in fourth and fifth grade.” Recalling his school days, he noted: “The first thing that comes to my mind is that she was very strict and good in English.” Babar said: “But I do remember, whichever student was good at their studies, she would appreciate them. She never hesitated to tell us if we did well.” He added: “I clearly recall something she said in class seven. I was known to be very naughty. Once in the class I raised my hand to answer a question. The moment I finished, she said ‘People might say stuff about Babar but I always defend him by saying that whatever else, he is good at his studies’”. Telling about his teacher’s family, he expressed: “Arifa’s dad, Madam Qazi’s husband, Zafarullah Qazi was an army officer known as Col Qazi. He was a golfer.” Babar said, “The last I saw her was in 2009 at a golf course. She remembered me. She asked me what I was doing there. I said ‘I am here to play golf’. She said, ‘Oh you have become a big man now’”. Published in The Express Tribune, December 18th, 2014. ======== PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - Pakistan on Wednesday began burying 132 students killed in a grisly attack on their school by Taliban militants that has heaped pressure on the government to do more to tackle an increasingly aggressive Taliban insurgency. The authorities, long accused of not being tough enough on extremists, quickly pointed the finger at Afghanistan, suggesting the neighboring nation was not doing enough to catch Pakistani Taliban commanders hiding on its territory. People across Pakistan lit candles and staged vigils as parents bade final farewells to their children during mass funerals in and around Peshawar, the volatile city on the edge of Pakistan's lawless tribal belt. Anger mixed with the grief as people looked to the authorities to act decisively. In an apparent response to public opinion after what may have been the deadliest militant attack in Pakistani history, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif announced he had lifted a moratorium on the death penalty. At a vigil in the capital Islamabad, Fatimah Khan, 38, said she was devastated by the atrocity. "I don't have words for my pain and anger," she said. "They slaughtered those children like animals." Sixteen-year-old Naba Mehdi, who attends the Army School in the nearby garrison city of Rawalpindi, had a message of defiance for the Taliban. "We're not scared of you," she said. "We will still study and fight for our freedom. This is our war." When asked what the government should do, her mother interrupted: "Hang them. Hang them all without mercy." The focus was on Army Chief Raheel Sharif as he visited Afghanistan, where the two sides - whose relationship is strained after decades of mistrust - discussed how to crack down on militants hiding on their common border. A Pakistani source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the army chief had asked the Afghan side to help catch and hand over Pakistani Taliban Chief Mullah Fazlullah, who is hiding in the lawless mountains on the Afghan side of the frontier. "It has been our long-standing demand," the senior military official told Reuters. "And if Afghanistan does not help us then we have other options, including the option of hot pursuit."He added the army chief went to Kabul with "incontrovertible evidence" that the attack was masterminded in Afghanistan. "For example, we have intercepted calls to the suicide bombers in the school, instructions given using Afghan cell phone SIMs. We have all the evidence now. A full picture. And we've told the Afghans that we have options." There was no comment from the Afghan side but another Pakistani source said Kabul had responded positively to Pakistan's requests and praised new Afghan leader Ashraf Ghani's efforts to cooperate more on security. BLOOD AND BODY PARTS Pakistanis may be used to almost daily attacks on security forces but an outright assault on children stunned the country, prompting commentators to call for tough military action. In all, 148 people were killed in the attack on the military-run Army Public School, according to the army. The school's sprawling grounds were all but deserted on Wednesday, with a few snipers manning the roofs of its pink brick-and-stone buildings. Army vehicles and soldiers wearing face masks and carrying rifles were deployed by the entrance. A Reuters tour of the school revealed a place shattered by hours of fighting, its floor slick with blood and walls pockmarked with bullet holes. Classrooms were filled with abandoned school bags, mobile phones and broken chairs. One wall was smashed where a suicide bomber blew himself up, blood splattered across it. His body parts were piled nearby on a white cloth. The air was thick with the smell of explosives and flesh. A day after the attack, Peshawar was subdued as people digested the tragedy. More details of the well-organized attack emerged as witnesses came forward with accounts. "The attackers came around 10:30 a.m. on a pick-up van," said Issam Uddin, a 25-year-old school bus driver. "They drove it around the back of the school and set it on fire to block the way. Then they went to Gate 1 and killed a soldier, a gatekeeper and a gardener. Firing began and the first suicide attack took place." Sharif has announced three days of mourning, but people's anxiety focused on what the authorities can do to protect them. Sharif came to power last year promising to negotiate peace with the Taliban, but those efforts failed, weakening his position and prompting the army to launch an air-and-ground operation against insurgents along the Afghan border. Despite the well-publicized crackdown, the military has been accused of being too lenient toward militants who critics say are used to carry out the army's bidding in places such as the disputed Kashmir region and Afghanistan. The military denies the accusations. "People will have to stop equivocating and come together in the face of national tragedy," said Sherry Rehman, a former ambassador to the United States and an opposition politician. In a show of unity with a government he once tried to oust, opposition politician Imran Khan said he was calling off his months-long protest movement against Sharif - a welcome relief for a prime minister already beset by growing domestic problems. (Additional reporting by Syed Raza Hassan, Katharine Houreld and Sheree Sardar; Writing Maria Golovnina; Editing by Alison Williams) ======== Pakistan in mourning as parents bury children after school attack Wed, Dec 17 01:07 AM EST image 1 of 28 By Mehreen Zahra-Malik PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - Pakistan woke up to a day of mourning on Wednesday after Taliban militants killed 132 students at a school in the city of Peshawar in a grisly attack which shocked the nation and put pressure on the government to do more to tackle the insurgency. People around the country lit candles and staged overnight vigils as parents prepared to bury their children during mass funerals in and around Peshawar - a big, volatile city on the edge of Pakistan's lawless tribal belt. Pakistanis may be used to almost daily militant attacks against the security forces but an outright assault on children stunned the country, prompting commentators to call for a tough military response. In Peshawar, the vast grounds of the military-run Army Public School were all but deserted, with a handful of snipers manning the roofs of its pink brick-and-stone buildings. Army vehicles and soldiers wearing face masks and carrying automatic rifles were deployed by the entrance. A day after the attack, Peshawar appeared subdued and many were still in shock, recalling the gruesome events and trying to soothe each other. More details of the well-organized attack emerged as witnesses came forward with their stories. "The attackers came around 10:30 a.m. on a pick-up van," said Issam Uddin, a 25-year-old school bus driver. "They drove it around the back of the school and set it on fire to block the way. Then they went to Gate 1 and killed a soldier, a gatekeeper and a gardener. Firing began and the first suicide attack took place." The government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has announced a three-day mourning period but people's anxiety focused on what the authorities can do to protect the country. Sharif came to power last year promising to negotiate peace with the Pakistani Taliban - but those efforts failed this year, weakening his position and prompting the army to launch an air-and-ground operation against insurgents along the Afghan border. The military staged more air strikes against Taliban positions there late on Tuesday, a security source said, but it was unclear whether it was done in response to the school attack. GOOD AND BAD TALIBAN Yet, despite the well-publicized crackdown, the military has long been accused of being too lenient towards Islamist militants who critics say are used to carry out the army's bidding in places like the disputed Kashmir region and Afghanistan. The military denies the accusations. "People will have to stop equivocating and come together in the face of national tragedy," said Sherry Rehman, a former ambassador to the United States and an opposition politician. "There have been national leaders who been apologetic about the Taliban, who have not named the Taliban in their speeches." The Pakistani Taliban, who are fighting to impose strict Islamic rule in Pakistan, are holed up in the inaccessible mountains straddling the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. They are allied with the Afghan Taliban as well as al Qaeda and other foreign fighters, and Pakistan has long accused Afghanistan of not doing enough to crack down on their bases. Afghanistan, for its part, blames Pakistan for allowing militant groups such as the Afghan Taliban and Haqqani network to operate freely on its territory and stage attacks in Afghanistan. Pakistan's army chief was expected to visit Afghanistan on Wednesday for what is likely to be a day of uneasy talks with his Afghan counterparts on how to tackle the insurgency. Pakistan's Dawn newspaper quoted a source as saying that the militants were acting on direct orders from their handlers in Afghanistan and that prominent Taliban commander Umar Naray was the ultimate mastermind of the attack. Speaking late on Tuesday, army spokesman Major General Asim Saleem Bajwa hinted at that without naming Afghanistan. "When these militants reached the school ... we found out which group was involved, who they were talking to, from where the operation was being controlled," he said. "God willing, in coming two-four days you will get to know." (Additional reporting by Syed Raza Hassan and Katharine Houreld; Writing Maria Golovnina; Editing by Robert Birsel) ==== Most of victims shot in the head Mohammad Ashfaq ‹ › Rescue workers and family members carry the coffin of a student, who killed during an attack by Taliban gunmen on the Army Public School, in Peshawar, December 16, 2014. — Reuters Rescue workers and family members carry the coffin of a student, who killed during an attack by Taliban gunmen on the Army Public School, in Peshawar, December 16, 2014. — Reuters Rescue workers and a family member carry the coffin of a student who was killed during an attack by Taliban gunmen on the Army Public School in Peshawar December 16, 2014. — Reuters PESHAWAR: Most of the victim students of the Army Public School received bullets in the head and they were targeted from a point blank range by the attackers, according to the students and a minister. The students said that the attackers scaled the boundary wall from the adjacent graveyard and started firing while moving towards the classrooms and auditorium. They said that a large number of students had gathered in the auditorium to get first aid training. “Most of the students have received bullets in the head,” said provincial information minister Mushtaq Ahmed Ghani while talking to mediapersons at the Lady Reading Hospital (LRH). He said that most of the bodies were received in the Combined Military Hospital and around 30 at the Lady Reading Hospital. Of the injured students, 25 were in critical condition, the minister said. The parents, who usually wait outside the school to pick their children at the closing time, were seen crying . They were frantically searching for their children in the LRH and CMH as they wanted to know about safety or condition of their kids after the attack. Besides the parents and relatives, the people visiting both the hospitals were also seen mourning on seeing the bodies and injured students in their blood-stained school uniform.

“I saw 17 bodies at the CMH and all of them had received bullets in the head,” said a journalist who was covering the event. He said that some of the bodies were mutilated.

Mohammad Zeeshan, a student of grade-7, told Dawn that he and many other students were getting first aid training in the school hall when they heard the gunfire. “Our trainer told us to lie down on the floor,” he said, adding that in the meantime the terrorists entered the hall. Mr Zeeshan said that the terrorists started shooting the students in their heads at a close range. “They killed our class-fellows and then left us in the main hall. I received a bullet in my foot,” he said. Another injured student said that terrorists were firing on the students in classrooms. “They also killed one of our teachers,” he said. Chief Minister Pervez Khattak told media persons at the LRH that the militants were wearing FC uniform. The attackers scaled the boundary wall from the adjacent graveyard, he said. He also announced three-day mourning in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The chief minister announced Rs500,000 for the killed students and Rs200, 000 for the injured. Jamaat-i-Islami chief Sirajul Haq said on the occasion that it was the responsibility of the federal and provincial governments to provide security to the people. A government, which can’t provide security to its children has no right to rule, he said. Awami National Party’s provincial president Ameer Haider Hoti said that children of the nation were killed brutally. He called for united stand by the political parties against militancy. Published in Dawn, December 17th, 2014 ========= Live updates: Over 80 killed in attack on Peshawar school, says K-P CM By Web Desk / Our Correspondents Published: December 16, 2014 A soldier escorts school children after they were rescued from the Army Public School. PHOTO: REUTERS A soldier escorts school children after they were rescued from the Army Public School. PHOTO: REUTERS School children cross a road as they move away from the school that has been under attack. PHOTO: REUTERS Security forces cordon off school and start a search operation, TTP claim responsibility for attack. STOCK IMAGE . PESHAWAR: At least 134 people were killed when unidentified armed men opened fire on a private school in Peshawar on Tuesday, Express News reported. The Army Public School is located on Warsak Road near Army Housing Colony and a medical school. At least 130 people were killed when unidentified armed men opened fire on a private school in Peshawar on Tuesday, Express News reported. The Army Public School is located on Warsak Road near Army Housing Colony and a medical school. 6:03pm Traders associations across Pakistan have announced to observe a day of mourning. Businesses will remain closed in Peshawar on Wednesday. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 5:51pm ANP leader Haji Adeel says military operation against militants should have been done years ago. “…every single element of the state machinery should solely be concentrated on making sure military targets are achieved with least damage,” he says. PPP leader Shireen Rehman says government should have taken action against militants in all cities and towns in addition to Zarb-e-Azb operation in North Waziristan. “There should be no confusion on who the enemy is,” she adds. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 5:48pm Pakistani soldiers cordon off the site of the attack. PHOTO: AFP …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 5:39pm ISPR says SSG commandos have rescued seven staff members and four school teachers from the building where the search and clearance operations are still underway. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 5:34pm Balochistan CM Abdul Malik Baloch announces three days of mourning in the province. Punjab Assembly also passes a resolution against the attack, and announces three days of mourning. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 5:32pm PTI leader Shaukat Yousufzai says K-P government had taken measures to thwart attacks in response to Zarb-e-Azb operation. He, however, says militants freely move in and out of Pakistan through Fata, making it difficult to control the situation. Yousufzai admits today’s attack was a matter of serious security lapse but adds that the K-P government cannot be solely blamed for it. “All politicians should stand together and support the armed forces which are fighting against terrorists.” …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 5:22pm DG ISPR says six militants have been killed as security forces clear the school building. Commandos are facing difficulty in clearing the building because of explosives planted by militants inside the school. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 5:17pm PM Nawaz Sharif has convened an emergency meeting of all national parliamentary parties in Peshawar on Wednesday, 11:30am at the Governor House, our correspondent Abdul Manan reports. According to the PM House, Information Minister Parvaiz Rasheed and Finance Minister Ishaq Dar will convey PM’s request to individual parliamentary leaders. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 5:13pm At least 130 people, most of them children, have been killed in the attack, AFP reports. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 5:10pm According to ISPR, SSG commandos have rescued two more children, and two teachers from the building. Of the four school blocks that were earlier held by militants, three have been cleared. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 5:06pm Sounds of explosions and firing continue to echo in the area as more security personnel arrive to take part in the operation. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 5:04pm Punjab CM Shahbaz Sharif assures K-P CM of complete assistance in providing relief to the injured and the families of the deceased. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 4:39pm Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expresses sorrow over the Peshawar school attack. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 4:36pm Watch a video of a mother in search of her children during the siege in Peshawar. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 4:25pm Devastating accounts have come forth from the tragic incident in which witnesses described how gunmen went from classroom to classroom, shooting children, after a huge blast shook the Army Public School in Peshawar today. Read the accounts here. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 4:22pm Our correspondent Umar Farooq reports from Lady Reading Hospital in Peshawar. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 4:11pm Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, while addressing the media in Peshawar, says “We will continue our struggle to completely eradicate militancy.” “We will work together with Afghanistan to work towards ending militance,” the premier says. “Operation Zarb-e-Azb is progressing successfully, and the country should pray for and support the operation,” says Nawaz. Further, the PM says that there should be no differences between the public. “We should unite and tackle terrorism,” the prime minister says. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 4:10pm Fifth militant has been killed, confirms ISPR. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 4:17pm A man carries a student, who was injured during an attack by Taliban gunmen on the Army Public School, after he received treatment at a hospital in Peshawar. PHOTO: REUTERS …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 4:06pm The protection of life and property is the responsibility of the federal and provincial governments. And because the school is a central location with sensitive installations nearby, it reflects on the total collapse of the government, Jamaat-e-Islami chief Sirajul Haq says while speaking to the media. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 4:04pm Malala Yousafzai’s co-winner of the Nobel Peace Prize Kailash Sathyarthi comments on today’s attack. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 4:00pm Meanwhile, read our correspondent Riaz Ahmed’s report from October on how easy it for militants to procure security forces’ uniforms. Read the full story here. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 3:49pm An army helicopter flies over the Army Public School that in under attack by Taliban gunmen in Peshawar, December 16, 2014. PHOTO: REUTERS …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 3:46pm …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 3:44pm Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan has announced to postpone the December 18 countrywide shutdown in lieu of the attack in Peshawar. He strongly condemned the attack on the school while speaking to the media. “There is no justification for this,” he says. Read the full story here. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 3:40pm India has condemned a deadly attack by Taliban militants on an army-run school in Peshawar. Home Minister Rajnath Singh said the attack exposed the “real face of terrorism”. “I strongly condemn the terrorist attack on a school at Peshawar,” he tweeted. “This dastardly & inhuman attack exposes the real face of terrorism. My heart goes out to the families of those children who got killed by the terrorists in Peshawar.” …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 3:36pm Below is a map showing the location of the school which is currently under attack by TTP militants. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 3:22pm With the tragic incident escalating, the death toll has now risen to over 120, according to Express News. Further, two fresh blasts have been heard from within the vicinity and firing is still going on. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 3:18pm Our correspondent Riaz Ahmad gives us a bone-chilling account of parents looking for their children at Lady Reading Hospital amid the chaos in Peshawar. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 3:13pm Watch footage of the scenes at hospitals following the devastating attack. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 3:10pm So far, at least 85 students have reached CMH hospital from the Government Commerce College to donate blood to the injured, according to our correspondent Umer Farooq. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 2:57pm Jammatud Dawa’s Hafiz Saeed while speaking to Express News condemns the tragic attack on the school in Peshawar. “This is a huge incident and is a blatant act of terrorism,” Saeed says. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 2:47pm Army Chief Raheel Sharif leaves for Peshawar from Quetta, while DG ISPR Asim Bajwa is already present in the city. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 2:38pm There are conflicting reports on the number of deaths with Express News reporting 104 children are dead, while AFP is saying 95 people have been killed in total. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 2:34pm PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal calls on all the leaders to put differences aside and work together to recreate the national narrative. “We are in a state of war and we can only fight our enemies with unity,” he stresses. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 2:30pm PAT chief Tahirul Qadri expresses sorrow over the loss of precious lives. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 2:25pm Prime Minister Nawaz says this is a national crisis. “I will monitor the operation personally from Peshawar,” he says. Security is put on high alert in Islamabad after the attack on school in Peshawar, while K-P government announces three days of mourning. 2:10pm Condemning the attack, K-P CM says there are 24 bodies at LRH and 60 at CMH. “There are 43 injured admitted to LRH and 40 to CMH,” he adds. He says rescue operation is still going on and most parts of the school building have been cleared except for the principal’s room and another area. “Around 10 men wearing FC uniform entered the building; security personnel killed two while another blew himself up,” he says. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 2:08pm As emergency has been declared at the LRH, here is a snapshot of the situation how nurses at this hospital deal with immense adversity. Nurses: The white army …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 2:04pm PTI leader Jahangir Tareen says this is a national tragedy and everyone will work together to make sure the issue is addressed in the best possible way. “There can never be a justification for such a barbaric act,” he says, condemning the attack in the strongest term. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 1:59pm Our correspondent Riaz Ahmad reports that at least 27 bodies are present in Lady Reading Hospital at the moment. SSP Operation Najibur Rehman says the rescue operation is still underway. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 1:49pm K-P information minister says at least five attackers, wearing army uniform, entered the school building from the backside of the building. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 1:43pm Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid, while speaking to Express News, says the government will not waver from its commitment to eradicate terrorism despite such coward attacks. “We will not rest until the scourge of terrorism is completely eliminated,” he says. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 1:24pm Rescue operation is still in progress inside the school. The building has been badly damaged because of the firing and explosion. Our correspondent Riaz Ahmad reports that 25 more ambulances have been called in to assist with the rescue work. A soldier takes position above a road near the school that is under attack. PHOTO: REUTERS …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 1:20pm Officials tell AFP that at least 20 people are killed in the attack. At least 15 bodies are in Lady Reading Hospital, of whom most are students and one is a female teacher, our correspondent Riaz Ahmad reports. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 1:16pm Lady Reading Hospital spokesperson says 18 people have been killed and 36 are injured. Most of the injured students were shot in their legs and arms. Security around the hospital has also been beefed up. Ambulances drive away from the school that is under attack by gunmen in Peshawar, December 16, 2014. PHOTO: REUTERS …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 1:08pm Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif gives strict instructions to concerned officials to rescue students and teachers safely. The premier further instructs Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan to personally monitor the rescue operation in Peshawar. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 12:56pm K-P Health Minister Shahram Tarkai says emergency has been declared in four major hospitals of the city. He says 12 students have been killed while 36 were injured. All of the injured students are boys. One female teacher was also killed while two others were injured. The health minister says another body brought to the hospital is of a soldier. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 12:50pm Rescue operation by troops underway as exchange of fire continues, ISPR reports. A large number of students and staff have been evacuated. Further, according to reports, some children and teachers have been killed by the militants. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 12:48pm Lady Reading Hospital spokesperson says 10 people have been killed while 30 are injured. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 12:46pm ANP leader Zahid Khan, while speaking to Express News, calls it a barbaric attack and says these attackers follow no religion. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 12:34pm Lady Reading Hospital, where many injured have been taken, has asked for blood donation. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 12:32pm Eyewitnesses say five to six men entered the building and opened fire. Students hid under their desks and later moved to a safer location from where they were rescued by security officials. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 12:29pm Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif condemns the attack and says those behind the heinous act will not be spared. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 12:24pm Lady Reading Hospital spokesperson confirms the number of casualties. Security sources say a large number of students and teacher have been evacuated, while the search operation is in progress. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 12:21pm Emergency has been declared at Lady Reading Hospital. PTI chief Imran Khan condemns the attack. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 12:18pm Security officials say there are at least 6 attackers inside the building. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 12:15pm An explosion was heard from inside the school building. The attackers reportedly have suicide jackets with them. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 12:12pm Two helicopters are constantly monitoring the situation, while army tankers are also seen in the area. At least 15 ambulances are in the area to respond to any emergency. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 12:08pm Militant outfit Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for attack. “Our people successfully entered the army school in Peshawar this morning. We are giving them direct instructions to not harm minors,” TTP spokesperson Omar Khorasani told The Express Tribune. “Operation Zarb-e-Azb and Operation Khyber-I forced us to take such an extreme step,” he said. Read full story here. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 11:55am At least 15 students have been rescued from the building while many are reportedly inside it. The injured were shifted to Combined Military Hospital. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 11:46am As per initial details, around five to six gunmen mounted this attack and tried to enter the school. The attackers were wearing uniform of armed forces. Security forces have cordoned off the school and entered the building. Officials are also monitoring the situation from a helicopter. Attackers and security personnel also exchanged fire near the school. ============== Taliban go on killing spree at Pakistan school, 132 students dead Tue, Dec 16 18:15 PM EST image 1 of 25 By Jibran Ahmad and Mehreen Zahra-Malik PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - At least 132 students and nine staff members were killed on Tuesday when Taliban gunmen broke into a school in the Pakistani city of Peshawar and opened fire, witnesses said, in the bloodiest massacre the country has seen for years. More than eight hours after militants slipped into the heavily guarded compound through a back entrance, the army declared the operation to flush them out over, and said that all nine insurgents had been killed. The attack on a military-run high school attended by more than 1,100 people, many of them children of army personnel, struck at the heart of Pakistan's military establishment, an assault certain to enrage the country's powerful army. Wounded children taken to nearby hospitals told Reuters most victims died when gunmen, suicide vests strapped to their bodies, entered the compound and opened fire indiscriminately on boys, girls and their teachers. "One of my teachers was crying, she was shot in the hand and she was crying in pain," said Shahrukh Khan, 15, who was shot in both legs but survived by hiding under a bench. "One terrorist then walked up to her and started shooting her until she stopped making any sound. All around me my friends were lying injured and dead." The Taliban, waging war against Pakistan in order to topple the government and set up an Islamic state, immediately claimed responsibility. "We selected the army's school for the attack because the government is targeting our families and females," said Taliban spokesman Muhammad Umar Khorasani. "We want them to feel the pain." SUICIDE BOMBERS As night fell on Peshawar, a teeming, volatile city near the Afghan border, security forces wrapped up an operation that lasted more than eight hours and involved intense gun battles. The military said about 960 pupils and staff were evacuated. The Taliban said the gunmen had been equipped with suicide vests and at least three explosions were heard inside the high school at the height of the massacre. Outside, as helicopters rumbled overhead, police struggled to hold back distraught parents who were trying to break past a security cordon and get into the school. Officials said 121 pupils and three staff members were wounded. A local hospital said the dead and injured were aged from 10 to 20 years old. A Reuters correspondent visiting the city's major Combined Military Hospital said its corridors were lined with dead students, their green-and-yellow school uniform ties peeping out of the white body bags. The gunmen, who several students said communicated with each other in a foreign language, possibly Arabic, managed to slip past the school's tight security because at least some of them were wearing Pakistani military uniforms, some witnesses said. Pakistanis, used to almost daily militant attacks, were shocked by the scale of the massacre and the loss of so many young lives. It recalled the 2004 siege of a school in Russia's Beslan by Chechen militants which ended in the death of more than 330 people, half of them children. The United States, Pakistan's ally in its fight against Islamist militants operating in Pakistan and Afghanistan, swiftly condemned the attack. "This act of terror angers and shakes all people of conscience ... the perpetrators must be brought to justice," said U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. SPIRAL OF VIOLENCE The Pakistani Taliban have vowed to step up attacks in response to a major army operation against the insurgents in the tribal areas. But despite the crackdown this year, the military has long been accused of being too lenient toward Islamist militants who critics say are used to carry out the army's bidding in places like Kashmir and Afghanistan. The military denies the accusations. So far the Taliban have targeted mainly security forces, military bases and airports, but attacks on civilian targets with no logistical significance are relatively rare. In September, 2013, however, dozens of people, including many children, were killed in an attack on a church, also in Peshawar in Pakistan's northwest. The assault on a school where officers' children studied could push the armed forces into a more drastic response. Army chief Raheel Sharif's first public remarks after the attack reflected rising anger. "These terrorists have struck the heart of the nation. But our resolve to tackle this menace has gotten a new lease of life. We will pursue these monsters and their facilitators until they are eliminated for good," he said. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif used similarly strong words. "We will take revenge for each and every drop of our children's blood that was spilt today," he said. In India, Pakistan's long-time rival, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his shock. The Afghan Taliban, which are separate to the Pakistani Taliban, put out a statement condemning the attack as "against the basics of Islam." Pakistani teenager Malala Yousafzai, joint winner of this year's Nobel peace prize for education campaign work and survivor of a Taliban attack in 2012, said she was devastated. "I am heartbroken by this senseless and cold-blooded act of terror in Peshawar that is unfolding before us," Malala, who now lives in central England, said in a statement. (Additional reporting by Amjad Ali and Syed Raza Hassan and Katharine Houreld in Islamabad, Saud Mehsud in Dera Ismail Khan and Michael Holden in London; Writing by Maria Golovnina; Editing by Mike Collett-White and Robin Pomeroy) ============