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Gunmen storm college campus in northern Pakistan Gunmen storm university in Pakistan, killing at least 20 people
(about 2 hours later)
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Several armed gunmen stormed onto a college campus early Wednesday in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. ISLAMABAD, Pakistan —Several armed gunmen stormed onto a college campus early Wednesday in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, killing at least 20 people in another terrorist attack aimed at the country’s efforts to educate its youth.
According to initial reports, the gunmen detonated explosives and are currently holed up in some classrooms at Bacha Khan University in Charsadda, located about 30 miles from Peshawar. The attack, which is likely to once again unite the country behind stern action against Islamist militant groups, began shortly about 9 a.m. when at least four gunmen snuck into Bacha Khan University in Charsadda. The university is located about 30 miles from Peshawar, where a terrorist attack on an army-run school 13 months ago killed about 150 students and teachers.
Eyewitnesses told the Washington Post that many of the university students had been shot in the head.
“I saw two terrorists standing on the roof . . . They were shouting Allah Akhbar,” said Basit Khan, a student of computer sciences, referring to an Islamic slogan for God is great. “After that, firing started and I and my friends started running. There were people screaming. We were terrified.”
Shaukat Yousafzai, a local lawmaker, said in an interview based on preliminary information at least 20 had been killed. Yousafzai said at least 50 people had been injured, many of whom are suffering from gunshot wounds. Some Pakistani media outlets were reporting that the death toll could rise considerably.
In a statement, a spokesman for the Pakistan Taliban claimed credit for the attack, saying it was carried out by four militants. Maj. Gen. Asim Bajwa, a spokesman for the Pakistan military, said security forces that converged on the campus have so far killed four suspected terrorists. But Bajwa said the operation was ongoing.
The co-ed university is named after Bacha Khan, a Pashtun nationalist leader who was the founder of Pakistan’s Awami National Party.
The party is known for its strong anti-Taliban views, and many of its leaders have been killed in recent years. Wednesday was the 28th year anniversary of Khan’s death. The attack occurred as a gathering of Pashtun poets was taking place on campus to commemorate the anniversary
Saeed Khan Wazir, a senior police officer, told media that the gunmen snuck onto school grounds using the cover of Pakistan’s chronically foggy mornings during the winter.
“There was severe fog and visibility was almost none,” Wazir said.
One student told Pakistan’s Channel 24 news that he was in his dormitory when he heard gunshots.
“It was a deafening sound, and first we decided to go out and run but upon hearing continuous firing, we shut our room doors,” the student said. “Two terrorists came to my door and shouted, ‘We are army and we are here to rescue you.’ But I didn’t open the door.
“After this, they started firing at the door but I lied down on the floor silently waiting till they were gone.”
In a statement, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif confirmed fatalities are likely.In a statement, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif confirmed fatalities are likely.
Sharif, who is in Zurich for a global economic conference, said law enforcement agencies are converging on the scene to try to rescue students and faculty members. Sharif, who is in Zurich for a global economic conference, said law enforcement agencies converged on the scene to rescue students and faculty members.
“We are determined and resolved in our commitment to wipe out the menace of terrorism from our homeland,” Sharif said. “The countless sacrifices made by our countrymen will not go in vain.”“We are determined and resolved in our commitment to wipe out the menace of terrorism from our homeland,” Sharif said. “The countless sacrifices made by our countrymen will not go in vain.”
Maj. Gen. Asim Bajwa, a spokesman for the Pakistan military, said army units have surrounded the university. One eyewitness reported seeing army commandos repelling from a rope onto university grounds. In December 2014, a terrorist attack at an army-run school in Peshawar killed about 150 teachers and students. After that, Pakistani officials greatly enhanced security at educational establishments, including erecting walls lined with razor wire and mandating the presence of armed guards at some institutions. Some provinces in Pakistan even authorized teachers to carry firearms in the classroom.
Talat Hussain, an anchor for Pakistan GEO News, said in a Twitter message that eyewitnesses told him they fear “dozens” of people may have been killed. “Terrorists had a free hand for 50” minutes. But there have been repeated warnings that schools remained vulnerable to attack. On Tuesday, parents throughout northwestern Pakistan rushed to pull their children out of school after rumors spread through communities that a terrorist attack on a school may be imminent.
Fazal Rahim Marwat told express News TV that he was near the university when he received word that the school was under attack. The Pakistani Taliban is an off-shoot of the Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan. In Pakistan, the group is pushing for the imposition of Sharia law. Since its founding in the mid-2000s, more than 50,000 Pakistanis have been killed in terrorist attacks or battles between the military and Islamist militants.
“We have 3000 students including 400 girls students, and 600 teachers and staff present in the university campus,” he explained. “We have not received any security alert or threat but we were aware of the situation as some terrorist incidents have been taking place in the province.” In June 2014, after an attack on Karachi’s international airport killed more than two-dozen people, the Pakistani military launched a major operation to drive Islamist militants from their safe-havens in northwestern Pakistan’s tribal belt. The operation intensified a year ago after the Peshawar school attack.
Saeed Khan Wazir, a senior police officer, told media, “There was severe fog as visibility was almost none, but the university is being surrounded by police and army soldiers. Efforts are underway to overcome the terrorists and clear the situation.” Throughout 2015, there had been a marked decline in violence in Pakistan. According to a recent report by the Pak Institute of Peace Studies, 2015 was Pakistan’s safest year since 2007 because terrorist attacks dropped by 48 percent compared to the previous year.
In December 2014, a terrorist attack at an army-run school in Peshawar killed about 150 teachers and students. After that, Pakistani officials greatly enhanced security at educational establishments, but there have been repeated warnings schools were still vulnerable to attack. On Tuesday, parents throughout northwestern Pakistan rushed to pull their children out of school after rumors spread through communities that a terrorist attack on a school may be imminent. “The spaces for extremist’s apologists in public discussions and mainstream media are gradually shrinking, which contributed in keeping the discourse on counterterrorism focused,” the report concluded.
There was no immediate information about whether any students or faculty members have been injured in Wednesday’s assault. One police official said the attack began after the gunmen snuck onto school grounds using the cover of Pakistan’s chronically foggy mornings during the winter. Security and analysts, however, have repeatedly stressed that the Pakistani Taliban was still capable of pulling off headline-grabbing attacks, especially in the northwestern part of the country. In September, the Pakistani Taliban took credit for an attack on a Pakistani Air Force base in Peshawar, killing 29 people.
Pakistan’s Express-Tribune newspaper reported explosions and gunfire can be heard coming from university buildings as police and paramilitary officers rush to the scene. The Pakistani Taliban, whose leadership is believed to reside in Afghanistan, also claimed credit for setting a roadside bomb that that killed six people near a military checkpoint in Khyber Agency on Tuesday. A day earlier, five Pakistani soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb in the western city of Quetta.
Haq Nawaz Khan, who is based in Peshawar, contributed to this report. Haq Nawaz Khan in Peshawar, Aamir Iqbal in Charsadda Pakistan and Shaiq Hussain in Islamabad contributed to this report.
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