At least 20 people killed by militants during attack at a university in Pakistan

Security forces at Bacha Khan University.

(Image credit: Twitter.com/etribune)

last updated 20 January 2016

Militants stormed Bacha Khan University in Charsadda, Pakistan, on Wednesday, opening fire on students and teachers across campus.

The health minister for Khyber Paktunkhwa, Shaukat Ali Yousafzai, says at least 20 people are confirmed dead and 60 injured, The Guardian reports, with the death toll expected to rise. The Pakistani Taliban has claimed responsibility, saying four gunmen wearing suicide vests carried out the attack. A spokesman for the army said four militants have been killed, and police say because of thick fog shrouding the campus, the militants were able to enter unnoticed.

Vice Chancellor Fazal Rahim told reporters more than 3,000 students attend Bacha Khan University, and an additional 600 people were on campus for a poetry recital.

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.