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TALIBAN gunmen have attacked a school van in northwestern Pakistan, killing four children and the driver in an assault they said was carried out to punish local tribesman for resisting the insurgent movement.
At least 14 other children and two female teachers were wounded in the attack in Matani on the outskirts of the main northwestern city of Peshawar today, police officer Ejaz Khan said.
Khan said five gunmen armed with assault rifles and rocket launchers attacked the van, which was taking students from the Khyber Grammar School.
He said no rocket fire hit the van and that all students were boys between the age of 10 and 15.
"This was to teach them a lesson and we will continue to carry out attacks wherever and whenever possible no matter if it is a school or a school bus," said Mohammad Afridi, a Pakistani Taliban spokesman in the Dara Adam Khel region, which is close to Matani.
Two local tribal leaders in Matani have raised local militias to stop militant infiltration into Peshawar from the nearby border regions with Afghanistan.
They get government financial and logistical help, and have killed or captured many militants over the last 18 months.
But they and their families have been ruthlessly targeted by the militants, which until three years ago were in control of the area.
Its proximity to the tribal regions and the main northwestern city of Peshawar make it highly strategic.
Militants seeking to overthrow Pakistan's Western-backed government have carried out hundreds of attacks in recent years, mostly against security force, civilian or state targets.
The army is battling the insurgents in several regions, but the extremists have proved resilient.
The government has also supported the creation of tribal militias to fight the Taliban. They have had some success in stopping the spread of the insurgency, but have been repeatedly attacked.
Many of the deadliest strikes in recent years have been against the tribal forces, or civilians living in their areas.
Read more: http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news...#ixzz1XrzCd6yI
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Peshawar: Pakistan's Taliban claimed responsibility for an attack on a school bus on Tuesday which killed five people, saying the children on the bus were from a pro-government tribe.
The attackers fired a rocket-propelled grenade and AK-47 assault rifles at the vehicle in the northwestern city of Peshawar, killing four children and the driver. Eighteen people, including 15 children, were wounded, police said.
The Pakistani Taliban, seen as the biggest security threat to the government, have become more brazen since their ally Osama bin Laden was killed in a US raid in Pakistan in May.
The militants have carried out high-profile suicide bombings and attacked a major naval base and Western targets.
They have also stepped up pressure on tribes who oppose them.
"Our comrades attacked the bus which was carrying children from the Aka Khel tribe, whose people are fighting against us at the behest of the Pakistani army," Taliban spokesman Mohammed Afridi said by telephone from an undisclosed location.
"They have been told time and again to desist from any activity against us but they did not listen. We will continue to carry out such attacks."
The Pakistani Taliban are holding hostage more than 20 young men from another pro-government Pashtun tribe in an area straddling the border with Afghanistan and have demanded the release of scores of prisoners and an end support of offensives against them.
The teenage tribesmen from Pakistan's northwestern Bajaur region were abducted by the militants on August 31 while they were on an outing in Afghanistan's border province of Kunar.
At Peshawar's Lady Reading Hospital, children lay in beds with shrapnel and bullet wounds from Tuesday's attack, their uniforms soaked in blood.
"We were in the van, going home like every day. Suddenly I heard an explosion and gunfire," said 8-year-old Sabir.
Pakistan's Taliban, allies of militants in neighboring Afghanistan, want to topple the U.S.-backed government and impose their strict version of Islam which would involve public whippings and executions for those deemed immoral.
Al Qaeda have suffered several setbacks since bin Laden's death.
But the Pakistani Taliban show no signs of letting up despite a series of army offensives against their strongholds along the unruly mountainous border with Afghanistan.
They plan to kidnap senior Pakistani officials to pressure authorities to release relatives of bin Laden detained after his death, Interior Minister Rehman Malik said last week.
Bin Laden's wives and several of his children are being held by authorities in the South Asian nation
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Peshawar, Pakistan - Gunmen opened fire on a school bus in the Pakistani city of Peshawar on Tuesday, killing at least three children and the driver, a police official said.
Fifteen children were wounded, he said. The children on the bus were around nine years old.
“First a rocket was fired but it didn't hit. Then gunmen opened fire,” said Sahibzada Sajjad, deputy superintendent of police in Peshawar, where Taliban militants, who are close to al-Qaeda, often carry out attacks.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility.
Pakistan's Taliban, also allies of militants in neighbouring Afghanistan, are waging a campaign of mostly suicide bombings in a bid to topple the US-backed government.
Al-Qaeda have suffered several setbacks since US special forces killed Osama bin Laden in a secret raid in Pakistan on May 2. But the Pakistani Taliban, who vowed to avenge his death, have carried out a series of attacks.
Another policeman said the shooting occurred near the Khyber Model School, which employed the bus. - Reuters
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Five among four children killed as gunmen open firing on school van
PESHAWAR, Sept 13 (APP): Five persons including four children have been killed and 19 others injured when unidentified outlaws sprayed volley of bullets at school van on by-pass road near Jangali check-post at restive Mathani area here on Tuesday, police said. The gunmen ambushed the school van packed with students of Khyber Model School, Peshawar when it reached near Jangali check-post in Mathani by pass on Kohat-Peshawar Road.
The victims aged nine to 14 were coming towards home after attending school when the tragic incident occurred. Most of the victims belonged to Kala Khel FR Peshawar.
The driver of the pick up and three children were killed instantly while another child identified as Muhammad Farooq son of Salamat Khan resident of Kalakhel died in Lady Reading Hospital.
The identity of victims could not be immediately ascertained. Police cordoned off the area and started investigation.
associated press of pakistan
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Euronews
Gunmen opened fire on a school bus in north-western Pakistan on Tuesday killing at least three children.
Officials said the driver also died in the shooting in the city of Peshawar, near the volatile border with Afghanistan
Fifteen children, all aged around nine years old, were wounded.
Police said the attack started with a rocket strike that missed the bus. The gunmen then opened fire.
Taliban militants, who are close to al Qaeda, often carry out attacks in the area, although no group has claimed responsibility for the school bus attack.
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Dawn news Pakistan
PESHAWAR, Pakistan: Taliban gunmen attacked a school van in northwestern Pakistan on Tuesday, killing four children and the driver in an assault they said was carried out to punish local tribesman for resisting the insurgent movement.
At least 14 other children and two female teachers were wounded in the attack in Matani on the outskirts of the main northwestern city of Peshawar, said police officer Ejaz Khan.
”This was to teach them a lesson and we will continue to carry out attacks wherever and whenever possible no matter if it is a school or a school bus,” said Mohammad Afridi, a Pakistani Taliban spokesman in the Dara Adam Khel region, which is close to Matani.
Officer Khan said five gunmen armed with assault rifles and rocket launchers attacked the van, which was taking students from the Khyber Grammar School. He said no rocket fire hit the van and that all students were boys between the age of 10 and 15.
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NBC news
PESHAWAR, Pakistan — Gunmen opened fire on a school bus in the Pakistani city of Peshawar on Tuesday, killing four children and the driver, a police official said.
Pakistan's Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, saying the children on the bus were from a pro-government tribe.
"First a rocket was fired but it didn't hit. Then gunmen opened fire," said Sahibzada Sajjad, deputy superintendent of police in Peshawar.
Eighteen people, including 15 children, were wounded.
The wounded were treated at Peshawar's Lady Reading Hospital, where the children lay in beds with shrapnel and bullet wounds, their uniforms soaked in blood.
"We were in the van, going home like every day. Suddenly I heard an explosion and gunfire," said 8-year-old Sabir.
Police said the shooting occurred near the Khyber Model School, which employed the bus.
Al-Qaida have suffered several setbacks since U.S. special forces killed Osama bin Laden in a secret raid in Pakistan on May 2.
But their allies in the Pakistani Taliban, who vowed to avenge his death, have carried out a series of high-profile attacks.
They are waging a campaign of mostly suicide bombings in a bid to topple the U.S.-backed government.
Kidnap plot
Interior Minister Rehman Malik said last week that the Taliban were planning to kidnap senior Pakistani officials to pressure authorities to release relatives of bin Laden detained after his death.
Bin Laden's wives and several of his children are being held by authorities in the South Asian nation.
The Pakistani Taliban are holding more than 20 teenage tribesmen hostage in an area straddling the border with Afghanistan and have demanded the release of scores of prisoners and an end to tribal elders' support of offensives against them.
The teens, from Pakistan's northwestern Bajaur tribal region, were abducted by the militants on August 31 while they were on an outing in Afghanistan's border province of Kunar.
Elsewhere in Pakistan, the bodies of two young men were found with a note saying they were killed by the Pakistani Taliban for spying on one of its commanders.
They were found in their home village of Pahar Khel in the northwest Lakki Marwat district, said police officer Syed Khan. They had been shot.
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Khaleej times
Gunmen opened fire on a school bus in the Pakistani city of Peshawar on Tuesday, killing at least three children and the driver, a police official said.
“First a rocket was fired but it didn’t hit. Then gunmen opened fire,” said Sahibzada Sajjad, deputy superintendent of police in Peshawar, where Taliban militants, who are close to al Qaeda, often carry out attacks.
Five children were wounded.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility.
Pakistan’s Taliban, also allies of militants in neighbouring Afghanistan, are waging a campaign of mostly suicide bombings in a bid to topple the US-backed government.
Al Qaeda suffered several setbacks since US special forces killed Osama bin Laden in a secret raid in Pakistan on May 2. But the Pakistani Taliban, who vowed to avenge his death, have carried out a series of attacks.
Another policeman said the shooting occurred near the Khyber Model School, which employed the bus
LOOKS THEY COPIED THE NEWS
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School bus attack by TTP; four Student killed
Latest News / Peshawar – School bus attack by Taliban killed four Student > Taliban ambushed a Pakistani school bus Tuesday, killing four boys and the driver in a hail of bullets and rocket fire on the outskirts of the northwestern city of Peshawar, police said.
(The children studied at an elite English-language school of a type reviled by hardline Islamist militants who oppose what they see as Western-imported, secular education).
Two seven-year-old girls on the bus were also wounded, officials said.
The children were targeted in the Matani area close to Pakistan’s northwestern tribal belt, which the United States considers the most dangerous region on earth and an Al-Qaeda headquarters.
Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack saying it was the work of their Khyber chapter.
Bombings by Taliban and Al-Qaeda-linked networks have killed more than 4,630 people since 2007, destabilising the nuclear-armed state.
“Gunmen opened fire on a school van and also lobbed a rocket in Peshawar’s suburb of Matani,” senior police official Ejaz Khan told AFP.
Police said the bus was taking children home at the end of the school day, which in Pakistan finishes in the early afternoon.
Senior police official Kalam Khan said from the scene that four boys were killed along with the bus driver.
“The gunmen were waiting for the bus in fields and attacked when it came close. They fired a rocket and then fired bullets on the van,” he said.
TTP spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan said the purpose of the attack “was to punish the Kakakhel tribe who formed a lashkar against us”, referring to state-backed anti-Taliban militias.
“The Kalakhels were warned but they did not disband the lashkar, and we again warn all other lashkars that they will meet the same fate for opposing the Taliban at America’s behest,” he added.
Outside Peshawar’s main hospital, Jahandar Shah, whose seven-year-old son Jamal died, sobbed uncontrollably and smothered his forehead in kisses as he tried to pull his blood-stained body from a stretcher onto his lap.
He blamed the government, allied to the US-led war on terror, and the Taliban, for his son’s death, screaming: “What was the fault of this innocent child? Why did you kill him?”
Shoaib Khan, a 15-year-old student wounded in the attack, said gunmen first opened fire on one side of the road, then waited for pupils to start fleeing before widening the attack.
“I started bringing kids out of the bus when the gunmen began firing from the other flank as well,” he said.
“Then I was also injured and fell unconscious. I don’t know what happened next.”
Habib Khattak, a doctor at Peshawar’s Lady Reading Hospital, said 18 wounded were admitted after the attack, 12 of them children and the others teachers and passers-by.
The vehicle belonged to the private Khyber School. Fee-paying, English-language schools are almost universally patronised by Pakistan’s middle and upper classes, with English widely used by the federal government.
The school told AFP it had taken some precautions but that it had never been openly threatened by militants who have a presence in the area.
“We received no threatening letter,” said deputy head Salman Ahmed.
“We ourselves adopted measures for the safety of the children. We stopped singing classes and the school band playing music during the morning assembly because we know militants are active in the area.”
In the district of Lower Dir bombers on Tuesday also assassinated Sher Khan, a local leader of Pakistan’s main ruling Awami National Party (ANP) in the northwest, blowing up his vehicle.
Lower Dir borders the once Taliban-infested Swat valley, where a sweeping army offensive two years ago appeared to reverse a local Taliban insurgency.
“It was a targeted attack. Sher Khan died on the spot and his police guard and the driver were wounded,” Dir police chief Saleem Marwat told AFP.
In 2009, 30,000 Pakistani troops went into battle against Taliban fighters who had terrorised people in Swat and parts of Dir for two years with a campaign of beheadings, violence and attacks on girls’ schools.
The army declared the region back under control in July of that year and said the rebels had all been killed, captured or had fled.
The army is now trying to encourage tourists to return to Swat, once beloved by Pakistani and Western holidaymakers for its stunning mountains, balmy summer climes and winter skiing easily accessible from the capital Islamabad.
At least 14 other children and two female teachers were wounded in the attack in Matani on the outskirts of the main northwestern city of Peshawar today, police officer Ejaz Khan said.
Khan said five gunmen armed with assault rifles and rocket launchers attacked the van, which was taking students from the Khyber Grammar School.
He said no rocket fire hit the van and that all students were boys between the age of 10 and 15.
"This was to teach them a lesson and we will continue to carry out attacks wherever and whenever possible no matter if it is a school or a school bus," said Mohammad Afridi, a Pakistani Taliban spokesman in the Dara Adam Khel region, which is close to Matani.
Two local tribal leaders in Matani have raised local militias to stop militant infiltration into Peshawar from the nearby border regions with Afghanistan.
They get government financial and logistical help, and have killed or captured many militants over the last 18 months.
But they and their families have been ruthlessly targeted by the militants, which until three years ago were in control of the area.
Its proximity to the tribal regions and the main northwestern city of Peshawar make it highly strategic.
Militants seeking to overthrow Pakistan's Western-backed government have carried out hundreds of attacks in recent years, mostly against security force, civilian or state targets.
The army is battling the insurgents in several regions, but the extremists have proved resilient.
The government has also supported the creation of tribal militias to fight the Taliban. They have had some success in stopping the spread of the insurgency, but have been repeatedly attacked.
Many of the deadliest strikes in recent years have been against the tribal forces, or civilians living in their areas.
Read more: http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news...#ixzz1XrzCd6yI
.................................................. .................................................. ...
Peshawar: Pakistan's Taliban claimed responsibility for an attack on a school bus on Tuesday which killed five people, saying the children on the bus were from a pro-government tribe.
The attackers fired a rocket-propelled grenade and AK-47 assault rifles at the vehicle in the northwestern city of Peshawar, killing four children and the driver. Eighteen people, including 15 children, were wounded, police said.
The Pakistani Taliban, seen as the biggest security threat to the government, have become more brazen since their ally Osama bin Laden was killed in a US raid in Pakistan in May. The militants have carried out high-profile suicide bombings and attacked a major naval base and Western targets.
They have also stepped up pressure on tribes who oppose them.
"Our comrades attacked the bus which was carrying children from the Aka Khel tribe, whose people are fighting against us at the behest of the Pakistani army," Taliban spokesman Mohammed Afridi said by telephone from an undisclosed location.
"They have been told time and again to desist from any activity against us but they did not listen. We will continue to carry out such attacks."
The Pakistani Taliban are holding hostage more than 20 young men from another pro-government Pashtun tribe in an area straddling the border with Afghanistan and have demanded the release of scores of prisoners and an end support of offensives against them.
The teenage tribesmen from Pakistan's northwestern Bajaur region were abducted by the militants on August 31 while they were on an outing in Afghanistan's border province of Kunar.
At Peshawar's Lady Reading Hospital, children lay in beds with shrapnel and bullet wounds from Tuesday's attack, their uniforms soaked in blood.
"We were in the van, going home like every day. Suddenly I heard an explosion and gunfire," said 8-year-old Sabir.
Pakistan's Taliban, allies of militants in neighboring Afghanistan, want to topple the U.S.-backed government and impose their strict version of Islam which would involve public whippings and executions for those deemed immoral.
Al Qaeda have suffered several setbacks since bin Laden's death. But the Pakistani Taliban show no signs of letting up despite a series of army offensives against their strongholds along the unruly mountainous border with Afghanistan.
They plan to kidnap senior Pakistani officials to pressure authorities to release relatives of bin Laden detained after his death, Interior Minister Rehman Malik said last week.
Bin Laden's wives and several of his children are being held by authorities in the South Asian nation
.................................................. .................................................. .........
Peshawar, Pakistan - Gunmen opened fire on a school bus in the Pakistani city of Peshawar on Tuesday, killing at least three children and the driver, a police official said.
Fifteen children were wounded, he said. The children on the bus were around nine years old.
“First a rocket was fired but it didn't hit. Then gunmen opened fire,” said Sahibzada Sajjad, deputy superintendent of police in Peshawar, where Taliban militants, who are close to al-Qaeda, often carry out attacks.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility.
Pakistan's Taliban, also allies of militants in neighbouring Afghanistan, are waging a campaign of mostly suicide bombings in a bid to topple the US-backed government.
Al-Qaeda have suffered several setbacks since US special forces killed Osama bin Laden in a secret raid in Pakistan on May 2. But the Pakistani Taliban, who vowed to avenge his death, have carried out a series of attacks.
Another policeman said the shooting occurred near the Khyber Model School, which employed the bus. - Reuters
.................................................. .................................................. ...
Five among four children killed as gunmen open firing on school van
PESHAWAR, Sept 13 (APP): Five persons including four children have been killed and 19 others injured when unidentified outlaws sprayed volley of bullets at school van on by-pass road near Jangali check-post at restive Mathani area here on Tuesday, police said. The gunmen ambushed the school van packed with students of Khyber Model School, Peshawar when it reached near Jangali check-post in Mathani by pass on Kohat-Peshawar Road. The victims aged nine to 14 were coming towards home after attending school when the tragic incident occurred. Most of the victims belonged to Kala Khel FR Peshawar.
The driver of the pick up and three children were killed instantly while another child identified as Muhammad Farooq son of Salamat Khan resident of Kalakhel died in Lady Reading Hospital.
The identity of victims could not be immediately ascertained. Police cordoned off the area and started investigation.
associated press of pakistan
.................................................. .................................................. .............
Euronews
Gunmen opened fire on a school bus in north-western Pakistan on Tuesday killing at least three children.
Officials said the driver also died in the shooting in the city of Peshawar, near the volatile border with Afghanistan
Fifteen children, all aged around nine years old, were wounded.
Police said the attack started with a rocket strike that missed the bus. The gunmen then opened fire.
Taliban militants, who are close to al Qaeda, often carry out attacks in the area, although no group has claimed responsibility for the school bus attack.
.................................................. .................................................. ......
Dawn news Pakistan
PESHAWAR, Pakistan: Taliban gunmen attacked a school van in northwestern Pakistan on Tuesday, killing four children and the driver in an assault they said was carried out to punish local tribesman for resisting the insurgent movement.
At least 14 other children and two female teachers were wounded in the attack in Matani on the outskirts of the main northwestern city of Peshawar, said police officer Ejaz Khan.
”This was to teach them a lesson and we will continue to carry out attacks wherever and whenever possible no matter if it is a school or a school bus,” said Mohammad Afridi, a Pakistani Taliban spokesman in the Dara Adam Khel region, which is close to Matani.
Officer Khan said five gunmen armed with assault rifles and rocket launchers attacked the van, which was taking students from the Khyber Grammar School. He said no rocket fire hit the van and that all students were boys between the age of 10 and 15.
.................................................. .................................................. ......
NBC news
PESHAWAR, Pakistan — Gunmen opened fire on a school bus in the Pakistani city of Peshawar on Tuesday, killing four children and the driver, a police official said.
Pakistan's Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, saying the children on the bus were from a pro-government tribe.
"First a rocket was fired but it didn't hit. Then gunmen opened fire," said Sahibzada Sajjad, deputy superintendent of police in Peshawar.
Eighteen people, including 15 children, were wounded.
The wounded were treated at Peshawar's Lady Reading Hospital, where the children lay in beds with shrapnel and bullet wounds, their uniforms soaked in blood.
"We were in the van, going home like every day. Suddenly I heard an explosion and gunfire," said 8-year-old Sabir.
Police said the shooting occurred near the Khyber Model School, which employed the bus.
Al-Qaida have suffered several setbacks since U.S. special forces killed Osama bin Laden in a secret raid in Pakistan on May 2.
But their allies in the Pakistani Taliban, who vowed to avenge his death, have carried out a series of high-profile attacks.
They are waging a campaign of mostly suicide bombings in a bid to topple the U.S.-backed government.
Kidnap plot
Interior Minister Rehman Malik said last week that the Taliban were planning to kidnap senior Pakistani officials to pressure authorities to release relatives of bin Laden detained after his death.
Bin Laden's wives and several of his children are being held by authorities in the South Asian nation.
The Pakistani Taliban are holding more than 20 teenage tribesmen hostage in an area straddling the border with Afghanistan and have demanded the release of scores of prisoners and an end to tribal elders' support of offensives against them.
The teens, from Pakistan's northwestern Bajaur tribal region, were abducted by the militants on August 31 while they were on an outing in Afghanistan's border province of Kunar.
Elsewhere in Pakistan, the bodies of two young men were found with a note saying they were killed by the Pakistani Taliban for spying on one of its commanders.
They were found in their home village of Pahar Khel in the northwest Lakki Marwat district, said police officer Syed Khan. They had been shot.
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
.................................................. .................................................. ........
Khaleej times
Gunmen opened fire on a school bus in the Pakistani city of Peshawar on Tuesday, killing at least three children and the driver, a police official said.
“First a rocket was fired but it didn’t hit. Then gunmen opened fire,” said Sahibzada Sajjad, deputy superintendent of police in Peshawar, where Taliban militants, who are close to al Qaeda, often carry out attacks.
Five children were wounded.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility.
Pakistan’s Taliban, also allies of militants in neighbouring Afghanistan, are waging a campaign of mostly suicide bombings in a bid to topple the US-backed government.
Al Qaeda suffered several setbacks since US special forces killed Osama bin Laden in a secret raid in Pakistan on May 2. But the Pakistani Taliban, who vowed to avenge his death, have carried out a series of attacks.
Another policeman said the shooting occurred near the Khyber Model School, which employed the bus
LOOKS THEY COPIED THE NEWS
.................................................. .................................................. ...................................
School bus attack by TTP; four Student killed
Latest News / Peshawar – School bus attack by Taliban killed four Student > Taliban ambushed a Pakistani school bus Tuesday, killing four boys and the driver in a hail of bullets and rocket fire on the outskirts of the northwestern city of Peshawar, police said.
(The children studied at an elite English-language school of a type reviled by hardline Islamist militants who oppose what they see as Western-imported, secular education).
Two seven-year-old girls on the bus were also wounded, officials said.
The children were targeted in the Matani area close to Pakistan’s northwestern tribal belt, which the United States considers the most dangerous region on earth and an Al-Qaeda headquarters.
Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack saying it was the work of their Khyber chapter.
Bombings by Taliban and Al-Qaeda-linked networks have killed more than 4,630 people since 2007, destabilising the nuclear-armed state.
“Gunmen opened fire on a school van and also lobbed a rocket in Peshawar’s suburb of Matani,” senior police official Ejaz Khan told AFP.
Police said the bus was taking children home at the end of the school day, which in Pakistan finishes in the early afternoon.
Senior police official Kalam Khan said from the scene that four boys were killed along with the bus driver.
“The gunmen were waiting for the bus in fields and attacked when it came close. They fired a rocket and then fired bullets on the van,” he said.
TTP spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan said the purpose of the attack “was to punish the Kakakhel tribe who formed a lashkar against us”, referring to state-backed anti-Taliban militias.
“The Kalakhels were warned but they did not disband the lashkar, and we again warn all other lashkars that they will meet the same fate for opposing the Taliban at America’s behest,” he added.
Outside Peshawar’s main hospital, Jahandar Shah, whose seven-year-old son Jamal died, sobbed uncontrollably and smothered his forehead in kisses as he tried to pull his blood-stained body from a stretcher onto his lap.
He blamed the government, allied to the US-led war on terror, and the Taliban, for his son’s death, screaming: “What was the fault of this innocent child? Why did you kill him?”
Shoaib Khan, a 15-year-old student wounded in the attack, said gunmen first opened fire on one side of the road, then waited for pupils to start fleeing before widening the attack.
“I started bringing kids out of the bus when the gunmen began firing from the other flank as well,” he said.
“Then I was also injured and fell unconscious. I don’t know what happened next.”
Habib Khattak, a doctor at Peshawar’s Lady Reading Hospital, said 18 wounded were admitted after the attack, 12 of them children and the others teachers and passers-by.
The vehicle belonged to the private Khyber School. Fee-paying, English-language schools are almost universally patronised by Pakistan’s middle and upper classes, with English widely used by the federal government.
The school told AFP it had taken some precautions but that it had never been openly threatened by militants who have a presence in the area.
“We received no threatening letter,” said deputy head Salman Ahmed.
“We ourselves adopted measures for the safety of the children. We stopped singing classes and the school band playing music during the morning assembly because we know militants are active in the area.”
In the district of Lower Dir bombers on Tuesday also assassinated Sher Khan, a local leader of Pakistan’s main ruling Awami National Party (ANP) in the northwest, blowing up his vehicle.
Lower Dir borders the once Taliban-infested Swat valley, where a sweeping army offensive two years ago appeared to reverse a local Taliban insurgency.
“It was a targeted attack. Sher Khan died on the spot and his police guard and the driver were wounded,” Dir police chief Saleem Marwat told AFP.
In 2009, 30,000 Pakistani troops went into battle against Taliban fighters who had terrorised people in Swat and parts of Dir for two years with a campaign of beheadings, violence and attacks on girls’ schools.
The army declared the region back under control in July of that year and said the rebels had all been killed, captured or had fled.
The army is now trying to encourage tourists to return to Swat, once beloved by Pakistani and Western holidaymakers for its stunning mountains, balmy summer climes and winter skiing easily accessible from the capital Islamabad.
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