USA ‘strongly condemns’ terror attack on Bacha Khan University in Pakistan

There were conflicting reports on the death toll at Bacha Khan University in the city of Charsadda, with regional police chief Saeed Wazir telling AFP the number of dead had risen to 21.

A breakaway faction of the Taliban took responsibility for the university attack, although a spokesman for the larger Taliban organization, led by Mullah Fazlullah, denied having anything to do with it and called it “un-Islamic”.

The three-hour attack at Bacha Khan University began about 9:30 a.m. when militants climbed over the back wall of a university guest house.

The yesterday raid was claimed by a Pakistani Taliban (a militant organisation) faction but branded “un-Islamic” by the umbrella group’s leadership, who vowed to hunt down those responsible.

The university attack was grimly reminiscent of the December 2014 massacre at an army public school in nearby Peshawar that killed 150, mostly children. Once inside the compound the gunmen opened fire on students and teachers, setting off explosions in the process.

Most of the victims were Bacha Khan students.

“The operation is over and the university has been cleared”, Pakistan army spokesman General Asim Bajwa said.

But earlier, a Taliban commander in the area said he sent the four attackers to the university. “He reaffirms that attacks against students, teachers or schools can never be justified”. It also prompted the Pakistani prime minister to pledge the country will wipe out the ‘menace of terrorism.’ Police said four attackers were also killed.

Expressing similar sentiments, Defence Expert PK Sehgal said the Taliban which is taking revenge on the Pakistan Army is making desperate attempts to overthrow the government in Islamabad.