Islamabad, Sep 13: Taliban militants today ambushed a school van on the outskirts of Peshawar city in northwest Pakistan, killing five children and the driver and injuring 18 others in an attack directed against members of a pro-government tribe.
The militants targeted the van of a private school in Mattani area this afternoon. Five children and the driver were killed instantly, state-run PTV reported.
Eighteen others, including 15 children, were injured in the brazen attack.
The condition of two children and a teacher was serious, officials at Peshawar's Lady Reading Hospital said.
Local media quoted a Taliban spokesman as saying that the attack targeted children of the Aka Khel tribe, which had formed a pro-government militia to flush out militants from the area.
Such attacks would continue as long as the tribesmen continued their activities against Taliban, he said. Police official Sahibzada Sajjad told the media that the attack was an act of revenge against residents of Kala Khel area for their role in efforts to flush out militants.
The militants struck as the van was taking the children back to their homes.
Reports said the attackers fired a rocket at the van of Khyber Model School. Footage on television showed bloodstains on the side of the van.
A heap of school bags lay inside the vehicle. Officials said the children sustained bullet and shrapnel wounds.
Mattani has been the scene of a struggle between militants and a local anti-Taliban ‘lashkar' or militia.
Taliban fighters have targeted local residents to punish them for supporting security forces.
A suicide attack was carried out on a security check post in the same area nearly two years ago.
In March, a suicide bomber struck the funeral of the wife of a member of the local militia and killed nearly 40 people.
Mattani is located near the tribal region of Darra Adam Khel, where commander Tariq Afridi leads Taliban fighters. PTI
