Pakistan Officials Regain Control of Military School Following Taliban Attack
Pakistan's military forces have reportedly regained control of a well-known military school in Peshawar following a "horrific" Taliban attack that killed over 140 victims, mostly children.
The seven Islamic militants reportedly entered the school around 10 a.m. Tuesday morning disguised as parliamentary Frontier Corps soldiers. The terrorists were able to scale an inner security wall, and witnesses report that the militants did not make any demands upon entering the school; rather, they began firing with their weapons at children and teachers.
Seven hours later, the Pakistani government was able to confirm that local police and military and regained control of the school and killed all seven militants inside.
Several countries, including the U.S. and Great Britain, have denounced Tuesday's attack on the schoolchildren. Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said the attack was evidence that the world needs to unite against terrorist groups like the Taliban and the Islamic State.
"The nation needs to get united and face terrorism," he said in a statement. "There is no room for any reluctance and we need unflinching resolve against this plague."
Malala Yousafzai, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize and native of Pakistan, decried Tuesday's violence in a statement. Yousafzai was living in Pakistan's Swat Valley as a teenager when she was shot in the face by members of the Taliban while promoting children's education.
Yousafzai said she is "heartbroken by this (latest) senseless and cold blooded act of terror in Peshawar," adding that "innocent children in their school have no place in horror such as this."
"I call upon the international community, leaders in Pakistan, all political parties -- everyone -- (to) stand up together and fight against terrorism," the 16-year-old added in another statement. "And we should make sure that every child gets a safe and quality education."