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Breakthrough achieved in identifying Charsadda attackers: DG ISPR
CHARSADDA / PESHAWAR / ISLAMABAD: At least 21 people died when gunmen armed with grenades and Kalashnikovs attacked a university in Charsadda Wednesday, as security forces moved in under thick fog to halt the bloodshed.
The militants, using the cover of thick, wintry fog, scaled the walls of the Bacha Khan University before entering buildings and opening fire on students and teachers in classrooms and hostels, police said.
The gunmen attacked as the university prepared to host a poetry to commemorate the death anniversary of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, a popular ethnic Pashtun independence activist after whom the university is named.
The attack comes a little over a year after Taliban gunmen stormed Army Public School in December 2014 and slaughtered more than 150 people, most of them children, in an hours-long siege.
What we know so far:
- 21 killed, over 30 injured
- Four militants killed during operation
- TTP claims responsibility for attack
Turkish President expresses grief over Charsadda attack
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan telephoned Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and expressed condolences over the attack.
According to a statement, the two leaders agreed terrorism was the common enemy and joint efforts were needed to eliminate the menace.
DG ISPR Lt Gen Asim Bajwa says security forces have gathered satisfactory information about the attackers on Bacha Khan University.
“We have gathered all relevant data about where these terrorists came from and who sent them,” he said while addressing the media.
Asim Bajwa addresses media. EXPRESS NEWS SCREEN GRAB
“The terrorists were continuously conversing on their mobile phones, two of which we have recovered and collected data from,” he added.
Bajwa said it was a major success of the forces that within 45 minutes, the terrorists were contained inside the varsity.
“There were 52 guards of the Bacha Khan University who responded to the attackers, whereas within a short span of time LEAs also reached the site,” he said.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif appreciated the sentiment expressed by the prime minister of India with regards to the terrorist attack in Charsadda, said a Foreign Office statement.
“This incident is yet another reminder that terrorism is our common enemy and a cooperative approach is essential to eliminate it from the region.”
Condemning the terrorist attack in Charsadda, Afghan National Security Adviser Hanif Atmar termed it an attack on the peaceful ideology of BachaKhan.
He extended condolences to the families of the deceased and prayers for the recovery of the injured.
Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai also condemned the attack.
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