134 Students Killed in Pakistan University Attack By Taliban

Death toll in attack on Bacha Khan University in #Charsadda rises to 20 — dozens injured — attack still underway

— omar r quraishi (@omar_quraishi) January 20, 2016

At least three gunmen have broken into a university in Charsadda in north-west Pakistan, a little over a year after Taliban gunmen killed 134 students in a school in the nearby city of Peshawar.

Two of the gunmen who stormed Bacha Khan university have been killed, police said, but other attackers are believed to be on the second and third floors of campus buildings and firing is still going on following at least two explosions.

The school’s vice chancellor, Fazal Raheem Marwat, confirmed the attack was still ongoing.

“At the moment I have no details about the casualties,” he said.

Gunmen entered the university in the north-west of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and opened fire at students and teachers in classrooms and hostels.

Deputy Inspector General Saeed Wazir said his forces believed that most of the students had been rescued, but several gunmen remained at large inside the university.

“We launched an operation inside the university and are trying to rescue the students and staff of the institution,” he said.

The university’s official Facebook account said: “Pakistan Army’s QRF and KPK Elite force arrive[d] on the spot to carry out an operation.”

Shabir Khan, a lecturer in the English department, said he was about to leave the hostel for the department when firing began.

“Most of the students and staff were in classes when the firing began,” he said.