Pakistani police: 2 killed in university attack underway

At least three to four security guards are injured, an eye-witness who managed to come out of the premises said, according to the newspaper.

Pakistani troops and rescue workers gather at the main gate of Bacha Khan University in Charsadda town, some 35 kilometers (21 miles) outside the city of Peshawar, Pakistan, Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2016. Gunfire and explosions were heard across campus, with students reportedly sighting militants wielding AK-47s. Four of the gunmen were killed, after police, soldiers and special forces swarmed the university from the ground and the air.

“All students have been evacuated from the hostels, but militants are still hiding in different parts of the university and some students and staff are stuck inside”, he said before the firing had stopped, adding that it was unclear how many gunmen were involved. It took place just days after authorities closed schools in the area due to reports of a possible terror attack.

At least 20 people are dead and several wounded after Taliban gunmen attacked a university in northwest Pakistan Wednesday.

Ibrahim told IANS that she had no idea how many people had been killed. “It is especially reprehensible that the attackers targeted an educational institution where students and educators are seeking to better themselves and the nation of Pakistan”, he said.

Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday announced a day of national mourning to express solidarity with the victims of Bacha Khan University attack.

There have so far been no claims of responsibility.

Pakistan’s northwest and its lawless tribal regions bordering Afghanistan is a highly volatile region.

The attack revived painful memories of the Taliban assault on an army-run school in December 2014, in which gunmen killed around 150 people, almost all of them children.

A senior Pakistani Taliban commander claimed responsibility for the assault in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province but an official spokesman later denied involvement, calling the attack “un-Islamic”.

Last month, as the country marked the first anniversary of the Peshawar school attack, the military claimed “phenomenal successes” in the war and said it has killed around 3,500 insurgents since launching the operation.

Militant attacks have declined in Pakistan since the start of the North Waziristan operation.

“Security forces are present on site and are combating the terrorists in a gunfight, but as yet are not sure how many terrorists are holed up inside the university”, Geo News reported.