PESHAWAR: At least nine people were killed as armed men clad in burqas stormed into Peshawar’s Agricultural Training Institute early Friday morning.
Over 32 people, including a police sub-inspector and a constable sustained injuries in the attack. According to the Hayatabad Medical Complex spokesperson, six bodies have been received, while Khyber Teaching Hospital has confirmed the demise of three.
IG Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Salahudin Mehsud said one terrorist with a suicide jacket has been neutralised as SSP Operations Sajjad Khan leads the operation in the campus. All roads leading to the area have been sealed as heavy firing continues inside. At least two explosions have been heard from inside the campus, one was confirmed by SSP Khan.
According to the Pakistan Army’s media wing, the operation has been completed and all militants have been neutralised. The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Reports revealed the men entered the premises in a rickshaw.
The Directorate of Agriculture, also an eyewitness to the incident, said he saw two of those injured “lying on the floor”. The injured were rushed to Khyber Teaching Hospital for immediate treatment. According to IG Mehsud, at least 10 students and two parents have been safely rescued.
One wounded student, Ahteshan ul-Haq, told Reuters that about 120 out of nearly 400 college residents were present during the attack, as most had gone home for a long holiday weekend.
“We were sleeping when we heard gunshots. I got up and within seconds everybody was running and shouting ‘the Taliban have attacked’,” he said.