Pakistan Taliban kill at least 21 as they storm university

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(Earth is rising over the Moon's Surface), Source: https://www.facebook.com/RealEstateSA5000/photos/a.899877783394135.1073741829.899009183480995/920077631374150/?l=734b9eef72 The Express Tribune > Pakistan > KP & FATA LIVE: 21 killed, over 30 injured as gunmen attack Bacha Khan University in Charsadda By Mureeb Mohmand / Iftikhar Firdous / Irfan Ghauri / Agencies / Riaz Ahmed / Abdul Manan / Kamran Yousaf Published: January 20, 2016 1,823 SHARES Share Tweet Email PHOTO: IRFAN GHAURI PHOTO: IRFAN GHAURI PHOTO: IRFAN GHAURI Army personnel walk outside the Bacha Khan University in Charsadda on January 20, 2016. PHOTO: REUTERS PHOTO: MUREEB MOHMAND An Express News screen grab as Army personnel enter the university premises. CHARSADDA: A group of militants stormed Bacha Khan University in Charsadda on Wednesday morning. Firing and blasts were heard from inside the campus as the army carried out a clearance operation. The militants, using the cover of thick, wintry fog, scaled the walls of the Bacha Khan University before entering buildings and opening fire on students and teachers in classrooms and hostels, police said. The gunmen attacked as the university prepared to host a poetry recital on Wednesday afternoon to commemorate the death anniversary of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, a popular ethnic Pashtun independence activist after whom the university is named. The attack comes a little over a year after Taliban gunmen stormed Army Public School in December 2014 and slaughtered more than 150 people, most of them children, in an hours-long siege. What we know so far: - Gunfire, blasts heard as army carries out operation - 21 killed, over 30 injured so far. Casualties feared to rise dramatically - Four militants killed so far - TTP claims responsibility for attack - Army clearance operation underway K-P govt releases names of those injured in attack Operation ends with four gunmen dead: army Authorities conclude the operation to clear Bacha Khan University, DG ISPR Asim Bajwa confirmed on Wednesday afternoon. “The operation is over and the university has been cleared,” Bajwa told Reuters, adding that ”Four gunmen have been killed.” The militants, using the cover of thick, wintry fog, scaled the walls of the Bacha Khan University in Charsadda, before entering buildings and opening fire on students and teachers in classrooms and hostels. TTP, Mullah Fazlullah not behind Bacha Khan University attack: Khorasani Army chief arrives at Bacha Khan University Army chief General Raheel Sharif arrives in Charsadda in wake of the attack at Bacha Khan University, Express News reports. PHOTO: AFP Timeline of deadliest insurgent attacks in Pakistan PHOTO: AFP Injured being shifted away from university premises PHOTO: AFP TTP sends warning of further attacks Universities, cadet colleges and army schools will be targeted in Pakistan, the TTP warn while claiming the attack, our correspondent Riaz Ahmed reports. I could be next Meanwhile, PPP Senator Sherry Rehman questions the lack of security despite threats to schools in the province. Modi condemns attack Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has condemned the attack in Charsadda. Schools to remain closed for 10 days The Education Department Charsadda has announced the closure of all schools for 10 days, our correspondent Mureeb Mohmand reports. Relatives and friends surround a man, injured in a militant attack at the Bacha Khan University, at a hospital in Charsadda in this still image taken from a video on January 20, 2016. PHOTO: REUTERS PM summons federal ministers The premier has directed federal ministers Pervaiz Rashid, Abdul Qadir Baloch and Baleeghur Rehman to reach Charsadda. ‘Two suicide vests found’ DIG Charsadda Police claims at least two suicide jackets were found at the scene, that failed to be blown up by militants, before they were gunned down by army personnel. Although, stringent security arrangements were in place at the university, the attackers still manage to get inside the premises. Eyewitness recalls moment gunmen stormed university PHOTO: MUREEB MOHMAND Students speak of hero teacher, Hamid Hussain Students spoke of one hero teacher — named by media as Syed Hamid Hussain — fighting back against the intruders, shooting his weapon in a bid to protect his charges. Geology student Zahoor Ahmed said his chemistry lecturer had warned him not to leave the building after the first shots were fired. “He was holding a pistol in his hand,” he said. Chemistry teacher defies Taliban in Bacha Khan University attack “Then I saw a bullet hit him. I saw two militants were firing. I ran inside and then managed to flee by jumping over the back wall.” Another student told television reporters he was in class when he heard gunshots. ”We saw three terrorists shouting, ‘Allah is great!’ and rushing towards the stairs of our department,” he said. “One student jumped out of the classroom through the window. We never saw him get up.” He also described seeing the chemistry professor holding a pistol and firing at the attackers. In mourning: ‘We cannot think of losing more children’ “Then we saw him fall down and as the terrorists entered the (registrar) office we ran away.” President Mamnoon Hussain confirmed the lecturer, Dr Hamid, had died. PTI chairman departs for Charsadda from Bani Gala, condemns attack Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan has strongly condemned the terror attack on the Bacha Khan University in Charsadda. “I have been monitoring this attack since the morning and I am constantly in contact with K-P’s chief secretary,” the PTI chief tells newsmen outside his residence in Bani Gala before departing for Charsadda. Further, K-P Chief Minister Pervez Khattak, who is currently in Scotland, has been asked to cut his trip short and return to Pakistan as soon as possible, Imran says. “The whole nation is united against terrorism and all the institutions are on one page,” the PTI leader says, adding he will personally visit the place to identify any loopholes in the security arrangements of the university. Students safely evacuated “Around 200 students have been safely evacuated from an examination hall in the university,” K-P Public Health Engineering Minister Shah Farman says. A teacher (L) walks with a pair of crutches following her rescue after the attack on Bacha Khan University. PHOTO: REUTERS Soldiers gather outside Bacha Khan University PHOTO: REUTERS Condemnations pour in Eye witness account A university office assistant, Atique Rehman says he was in his office while the terrorists entered the university premises from the back. Students from the arts and social sciences department were gathering in the Ghani Khan Hall when the attack took place. The university canteen and a boys hostel were also targeted, he adds. Further, he says that one student took shelter in the bathroom as his room-mates came under attack. Death toll continues to rise As the operation commences within the university, the death toll has risen to 21. “21 people have been killed and over 30 have been injured,” DIG Mardan said, our correspondent Irfan Ghauri reports. PHOTO: MUREEB MOHMAND “We fear some of the militants have fled into the nearby fields. Army troops have been sent to search for them,” he adds. Pak Army’s elite commandos enter premises A team of SSG commandos enters the university as the operation continues, our correspondent, Irfan Ghauri reports. PHOTO: IRFAN GHAURI Conflicting reports A rescue source says 15 have been killed while 20 remain injured. However, only eight bodies have been pulled out so far. PHOTO: MUREEB MOHMAND Meanwhile, PTI MPA Shaukat Yousufzai said over 20 people have been killed. “The situation inside is bad and we expect the death toll to rise,” he adds. Rescue efforts underway Photos: Mureeb Mohmand Four militants killed DG ISPR Asim Bajwa confirms four militants have been killed in the ongoing operation in the university. Seven killed, 12 injured Seven people have been killed in the attack so far, while casualties are feared to rise. “Seven people have been killed so far and casualties are feared to rise,” Rescue 1122 spokesperson says, adding that “90% of the university has been cleared.” University professor, Hamid Hussain, among dead University professor, Hamid Hussain, was killed in the attack. Identities of others killed are yet to be ascertained. President Mamnoon Hussain condemns attack Meanwhile, PPP Senator, Sherry Rehman also condemns the attack. PM condemns attack Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has expressed deep grief over the loss of precious human lives as a result of the terror attack on Bacha Khan University, a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s office said on Wednesday. The premier, who is currently in Switzerland to attend the 46th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum, is said to be personally monitoring the situation as he is being continuously informed on the measures taken to tackle the terrorists. PM directs provinces to ensure safe environment for children Meanwhile, condemning the attack of the terrorists, PM Nawaz said those killing innocent students and citizens have no faith and religion. “We are determined and resolved in our commitment to wipe out the menace of terrorism from our homeland. The countless sacrifices made by our countrymen will not go in vain,” said the prime minister. TTP claim responsibility Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) have claimed responsibility for the attack on Bacha Khan University, our correspondent Riaz Ahmed reports. TTP commander, Omar Mansoor, said that the attack was carried out by four attackers. Terrorists contained As the operation continues in the university premises ISPR statement confirms the terrorists have been contained. Students rescued Police say most of the students have been rescued, but gunmen are still believed to be on second and third floors of the campus. This photograph taken from a mobile phone shows security personnel taking position outside the Bacha Khan University following an attack by gunmen in Charsadda on January 20, 2016. PHOTO: AFP Army troops arrive at the scene Army troops arrive at the scene and cordoned off the area around Bacha Khan University, Director General Inter-Services Public Relations, Asim Bajwa tweets. University guards injured Officials say two guards have been injured at the university gate. Meanwhile, extensive firing continues in the area and heavy contingents of elite force have been deployed. All schools have been closed in Charsadda following the attack. Operation launched inside university Deputy Inspector General Saeed Wazir told Reuters that the number of gunmen was unclear but police had moved into the university and a gunfight with the attackers was under way. “We launched an operation inside the university and are trying to rescue the students and staff of the institution,” Wazir said. The vice chancellor has said more than 3,000 students are present at the premises, while several girls are inside hostels. Members of staff also remain within the building. More than 50 students have been evacuated. Further, “Gunmen were holed up in the Palwasha campus of Bacha Khan University,” eyewitnesses say. Gunmen enter university premises, open fire Gunmen entered the premises of Bacha Khan University in Charsadda early this morning and opened fire. “The gunmen entered from the back gate of the university where the guest house is located, and began firing indiscriminately,” an eyewitness said. Shabir Khan, a lecturer in the English department, said he was about to leave the hostel for the department when firing began. “Most of the students and staff were in classes when the firing began,” Khan said. “I have no idea about what’s going on but I heard one security official talking on the phone to someone and said many people had been killed and injured.” Right now, the gunmen are holed up behind a wall of the boy’s hostel,” a student, Abid Ali, who was evacuated from the university told The Express Tribune. “Armed men stormed into the university premises early this morning,” Sardheri police officials told The Express Tribune, adding that six explosions were heard inside the building. ============================================================ 1:53 AM EST | 00:51 Militants attack university in northwestern Pakistan Pakistan Taliban kill at least 19 as they storm. By Mehreen Zahra-Malik and Jibran Ahmad CHARSADDA, Pakistan/ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Taliban militants stormed a university in volatile northwestern Pakistan on Wednesday, killing at least 19 people and wounding dozens a little more than a year after the massacre of 134 students at a school in the area, officials said. The attack showed the Islamist militants retain the ability to launch attacks, despite a country-wide anti-terrorism crackdown and a military campaign against their strongholds along the lawless border with Afghanistan. A security official said the death toll could rise to as high as 40 at Bacha Khan University in Charsadda in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The army said it had concluded operations to clear the campus six hours after the attack began and that four gunmen were dead. A spokesman for rescue workers, Bilal Ahmad Faizi, said 19 bodies had been recovered including students, guards, policemen and at least one teacher, named by media as chemistry professor Syed Hamid Husain. Many of the dead were apparently shot in the head execution-style, TV footage showed. The militants, using the cover of thick, wintry fog, scaled the walls of the university on Wednesday morning before entering buildings and opening fire on students and teachers in classrooms and hostels, police said. Students told media they saw several young men wielding AK-47 guns storming the university housing where many students were sleeping. "They came from behind and there was a big commotion," an unnamed male student told a news channel from a hospital bed in Charsadda's District Hospital. "We were told by teachers to leave immediately. Some people hid in bathrooms." TALIBAN CLAIM RESPONSIBILITY The gunmen attacked as the university prepared to host a poetry recital on Wednesday afternoon to commemorate the death anniversary of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, a popular ethnic Pashtun independence activist after whom the university is named. Vice Chancellor Fazal Rahim told reporters that the university teaches over 3,000 students and was hosting an additional 600 visitors for the poetry recital. ADVERTISEMENT Related Coverage Operation to clear Pakistani university ends with four gunmen dead: army Umar Mansoor, a senior Pakistani Taliban commander involved in the December 2014 attack on the army school in Peshawar, claimed responsibility for the Charsadda assault and said it involved four of his men. He told Reuters by telephone the university was targeted because it was a government institution that supported the army. The Pakistani Taliban are fighting to topple the government and install a strict interpretation of Islamic law. They are loosely allied with the Afghan Taliban who ruled most of Afghanistan until they were toppled by a U.S.-backed military action in 2001. The military said all four gunmen had been killed. "The operation is over and the university has been cleared," Pakistan army spokesman General Asim Bajwa told Reuters. A security official close to the operation said he had seen the four gunmen's bodies riddled with bullets. He said none of the gunmen was wearing a suicide vest but carried guns and grenades. RUMORS OF ATTACK Television footage showed military vehicles packed with soldiers driving into the campus as helicopters buzzed overhead and ambulances lined up outside the main gate while anxious parents consoled each other. Shabir Khan, a lecturer in the English department, said he was about to leave his university housing for the department when firing began. "Most of the students and staff were in classes when the firing began," Khan said. "I have no idea about what's going on but I heard one security official talking on the phone to someone and said many people had been killed and injured." Related Coverage Pakistani Taliban spokesman denies movement is behind deadly university attack Several schools had closed early at the weekend around Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, after rumors circulated of a possible attack. The area has been on edge since the December 2014 massacre by six gunmen. Pakistan, which has suffered from years of jihadist militant violence, has killed and arrested hundreds of suspected militants under a major crackdown launched afterwards. The Peshawar school attack was seen as having hardened Pakistan's resolve to fight militants along its lawless border with Afghanistan. "We are determined and resolved in our commitment to wipe out the menace of terrorism from our homeland," Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said in a statement after Wednesday's attack. (Additional reporting by Saud Mehsud. Writing by Tommy Wilkes and Kay Johnson; Editing by Nick Macfie)