This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-30491435

The article has changed 19 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 10 Version 11
Pakistan Taliban kill scores in Peshawar school massacre Pakistan Taliban: Peshawar school attack leaves 135 dead
(about 1 hour later)
At least 126 people, mostly children, have been killed in a Taliban assault on an army-run school in the Pakistani city of Peshawar, officials say. Militants from the Pakistani Taliban have attacked an army-run school in Peshawar, leaving at least 135 people dead, most of them children.
All six of the militants who entered the building are said to have been killed, at least one of them in a suicide blast. All six attackers are said by officials to have been killed but the security forces are still checking for bombs they may have left.
However, the army has not declared the operation over. Most of the 500 students have been evacuated. Scores of survivors are being treated in hospitals as frantic parents search for news of their children.
The attack is being seen as one of the worst so far in Pakistan. The attack is the deadliest ever by the Taliban in Pakistan.
The BBC's Shahzeb Jillani in Karachi says the militants appear to have been intent on killing as many students as possible - rather than taking hostages, as initially thought.The BBC's Shahzeb Jillani in Karachi says the militants appear to have been intent on killing as many students as possible - rather than taking hostages, as initially thought.
Thousands of Pakistanis have been killed in militant violence in recent years - but the latest attack has caused unprecedented shock.Thousands of Pakistanis have been killed in militant violence in recent years - but the latest attack has caused unprecedented shock.
A spokesman for the militants told BBC Urdu that the school had been targeted in response to army operations. A Taliban spokesman told BBC Urdu that the school had been targeted in response to army operations.
Hundreds of Taliban fighters are thought to have died in a recent military offensive in North Waziristan and the nearby Khyber area.Hundreds of Taliban fighters are thought to have died in a recent military offensive in North Waziristan and the nearby Khyber area.
Many of the casualties at the Army Public School were reportedly caused by the suicide blast. More than 100 of the dead were children, a local official told Reuters news agency. Analysis: Aamer Ahmed Khan, BBC News
Irshadah Bibi, a woman who lost her 12-year-old son, was seen beating her face in grief, throwing herself against an ambulance. This brutal attack may well be a watershed for a country long accused by the world of treating terrorists as strategic assets.
"O God, why did you snatch away my son?" AFP news agency quotes her as saying. Pakistan's policy-makers struggling to come to grips with various shades of militants have often cited a "lack of consensus" and "large pockets of sympathy" for religious militants as a major stumbling-block.
That is probably why, when army chief Gen Raheel Sharif launched what he called an indiscriminate operation earlier in the year against militant groups in Pakistan's lawless tribal belt, the political response was lukewarm at best.
We will get them, was his message, be they Pakistani Taliban, Punjabi Taliban, al-Qaeda and affiliates, or most importantly, the dreaded Haqqani network. But the country's political leadership chose to remain largely silent. This is very likely to change now.
More than 100 of the dead are children, a local official told Reuters news agency, although other sources say the number may be slightly smaller.
The attack started at 10:00 local time (05:00 GMT). Mudassir Awan, a worker at the school, said he had seen six people scaling its walls.The attack started at 10:00 local time (05:00 GMT). Mudassir Awan, a worker at the school, said he had seen six people scaling its walls.
"We thought it must be the children playing some game," he told Reuters news agency. "But then we saw a lot of firearms with them. "We thought it must be the children playing some game," he told Reuters. "But then we saw a lot of firearms with them."
"As soon as the firing started, we ran to our classrooms," he said. "They were entering every class and they were killing the children." Children who escaped from the school say the militants went from one classroom to another, shooting indiscriminately.
Eyewitnesses told Geo TV station that the attackers had entered the school auditorium, where a military team was conducting first-aid training for students. One boy told reporters he had been with a group of 10 friends who tried to run away and hide. He was the only one to survive.
Locals reported hearing the screams of students and teachers. The dead are said to also include teachers and a paramilitary soldier. Others described seeing pupils lying dead in the corridors. One local woman said her friend's daughter had escaped because her clothing was covered in blood from those around her and she had lain pretending to be dead.
Gunfire and explosions were heard as security forces hunted down the militants. A hospital doctor treating injured children said many had head and chest injuries.
Ambulances have been carrying the injured to hospitals. Helicopters are also in the area. Major roads in Peshawar have been sealed off. Irshadah Bibi, a woman who lost her 12-year-old son, was seen beating her face in grief, throwing herself against an ambulance.
A doctor at the local Lady Reading hospital said many of the students were in "very bad condition", with head wounds. "O God, why did you snatch away my son?" AFP news agency quoted her as saying.
Frantic parents are gathering at hospitals to find out if their children are safe.
The school is near a military complex in Peshawar. The city, close to the Afghan border, has seen some of the worst of the violence during the Taliban insurgency in recent years.The school is near a military complex in Peshawar. The city, close to the Afghan border, has seen some of the worst of the violence during the Taliban insurgency in recent years.
Many of the students were the children of military personnel. Most of them would have been aged 16 or under.Many of the students were the children of military personnel. Most of them would have been aged 16 or under.
Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani Nobel laureaute who was shot by the Taliban for campaigning for the right to an education, has also condemned the attack. Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani Nobel laureate who was shot by the Taliban for campaigning for the right to an education, condemned the attack.
"I, along with millions of others around the world, mourn these children, my brothers and sisters, but we will never be defeated," she said."I, along with millions of others around the world, mourn these children, my brothers and sisters, but we will never be defeated," she said.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who has just arrived in Peshawar, described the attack as a "national tragedy". Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who has arrived in Peshawar, described the attack as a "national tragedy". Pakistani opposition leader and former cricket captain Imran Khan condemned it as "utter barbarism".
Pakistani opposition leader and former cricket captain Imran Khan condemned it as "utter barbarism".
The BBC's Owen Bennett Jones says Pakistan's politicians have for years hesitated to back the army campaign against the Taliban.
However, by killing so many children, the militants may have managed to unite the politicians and the army.
A Taliban spokesman was quoted by Reuters as saying the school had been attacked because the "government is targeting our families and females".A Taliban spokesman was quoted by Reuters as saying the school had been attacked because the "government is targeting our families and females".
Are you in the area? Are you happy to speak to BBC News? Email your comment to haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk please remember to include your contact details if you are happy to speak to a BBC journalist.Are you in the area? Are you happy to speak to BBC News? Email your comment to haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk please remember to include your contact details if you are happy to speak to a BBC journalist.
Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7624 800 100 (International). If you have a large file you can upload here.Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7624 800 100 (International). If you have a large file you can upload here.
Read the terms and conditions.Read the terms and conditions.
Have your sayHave your say