Pakistan's Taliban, or Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), killed 145 people at a military-run school in Peshawar on Tuesday, in a brutal eight-hour attack. The vast majority, 132, were uniformed schoolchildren as young as 12. "Our shura decided to target these enemies of Islam right in their homes so they can feel the pain of losing their children," said Taliban spokesman Muhammad Khurasani.
The massacre was terrible enough that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif lifted a moratorium on the death penalty, in place since 2008 — and the TTP's sister organization in neighboring Afghanistan condemned the act. "The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan [Afghan Taliban] has always condemned the killing of children and innocent people at every juncture," the group said in a statement Tuesday night.
The intentional killing of innocent people, women and children goes against the principles of Islam and every Islamic government and movement must adhere to this fundamental essence. The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan expresses its condolences over the incident and mourns with the families of killed children. [Afghan Taliban]
The Afghan Taliban, notes The New York Times, has "pushed civilian casualties in Afghanistan to a new high in the past year." The Associated Press has a guided tour of the school below. --Peter Weber
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