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Heartbreaking

Funeral scene. Photo from CNN.
Funeral scene. Photo from CNN.

The world is no stranger to heinous crimes but nothing is more abominable that the massacre of schoolchildren in Peshawar, a large valley close to the Pakistan-Afghanistan border,Tuesday.

This is excerpts from a New York Times report:

“First the Pakistani Taliban bombed or burned over 1,000 schools. Then they shot Malala Yousafzai, the teenage advocate for girls’ rights.

“But on Tuesday, the Taliban took their war on education to a ruthless new low with an assault on a crowded school in Peshawar that killed 145 people — 132 of them uniformed schoolchildren — in the deadliest single attack in the group’s history.

“During an eight-hour rampage at the Army Public School and Degree College, a team of nine Taliban gunmen stormed through the corridors and assembly hall, firing at random and throwing grenades. Some of the 1,100 students at the school were lined up and slaughtered with shots to the head. Others were gunned down as they cowered under their desks, or forced to watch as their teachers were riddled with bullets.”

Taliban terrorists pose in front of their banner before the murders. Photo from the Daily Mail.
Taliban terrorists pose in front of their banner before the murders. Photo from the Daily Mail.
The Taliban, a brutal Islamist fundamentalist movement in Pakistan and Afghanistan, proudly claimed responsibility for the heinous crime.

NY Times said, “A Taliban spokesman said the attack had been retaliation for the continuing military operation against the group in the North Waziristan tribal region.”

The UK-based Daily Mail reported that the depraved killers even proudly posed for photos in front of a Taliban banner declaring ‘There is no God but Allah.’

“Clutching an array of rocket launchers and machine guns, the crazed gunmen are shown both in traditional clothing of Taliban fighters and the Pakistan military uniforms they wore to avoid suspicion immediately before storming the Army School in Peshawar.

“The pictures – apparently taken in the hours before Tuesday’s attack – were released yesterday by the Taliban, together with a threat to carry out similar attacks despite the outrage at the horrific, carefully planned massacre in which 132 children and more than a dozen teachers were killed.“

The Taliban, whose creation was supported by Pakistan and the United States Central Intelligence Agency in the mid 1990s against the Soviets, tried to justify the attack by claiming that the Pakistani army has long killed the innocent children and families of Taliban fighters.

The Daily Mail said “The Peshawar atrocity is said to have been ordered by Maulana Fazlullah, head of the Taliban in Pakistan and the man who ordered the shooting of teenage education campaigner Malala Yousafzai, this year’s winner of the Nobel Peace Prize.

“The firebrand militant, whose thick black beard reaches halfway down his chest, took control of the Pakistani Taliban 13 months ago. It is thought the massacre may have been his barbaric revenge for Malala, 17, being award the Nobel Peace Prize earlier this year.”

School principal Tahira Kazi set on fire by Taliban terrorists. Photo from The Daily Mail.
School principal Tahira Kazi set on fire by Taliban terrorists. Photo from The Daily Mail.
Pakistan is in a funeral mood now. The Daily Mail reported that the best attended of the funerals was that of teacher Afsha Ahmed, 24, who confronted the gunmen when they burst into her classroom and told them: ‘You can only kill my students over my dead body.’ She was burned alive as she stood in front of her pupils.

Accounts of the funeral scenes are both harrowing and heartbreaking with “ dozens of small wooden coffins carried for burial together with those of their teachers. Rows of children and fellow pupils stood in silence, some weeping, and their hands clasped in front of them beside the lines of caskets draped in blankets.”

A CNN report quoted Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif saying,“The smaller the coffin, the heavier it is to carry it. And we’ve been carrying smaller coffins today, more than a hundred small coffins we’ve been carrying, the Pakistani nation.”

We bow our heads in prayer.

Published inForeign AffairsTerrorism

7 Comments

  1. MPRivera MPRivera

    this is an eye opener to everyone who sympathises demonic ideals of terrorists, communists and islamists alike.

    anyway, the world is already crowding and downing lives is a must. however, let those demons be the first to disappear in order for the less evil rethink of their bad ways.

    ampatuans, move!!

  2. chi chi

    Binabasa ko pa lang ito, terrorized na ako! Naiiyak ako para sa mga bata.

    The smaller the coffins, the terrorists get a media mileage which is what they wanted.

    Kaya nga ba parang gusto ko si Duterte maging pangulo, he got bigger balls amongst them all when it comes to fighting terrorists and criminals.

  3. MPRivera MPRivera

    one should have a heart as hard as a rock so as not to be terrified with that kind heartless killing. isipin pang puro kabataan ang mga biktima. ganyan din ang mangyayari sa pilipinas o maaaring mas masahol pa KAPAG ang grupo nina renato reyes ang namayani sa pamahalaan.

    pansinin na sinasangkalan ng makakaliwang grupo ang pagdating ng santo papa upang himuking mamagitan daw sa kasunduang pangkapayapaan sa pagitan ng CPP/NDF/NPA at gobyerno samantalang silang mga terorista ang walang ginawa KUNDI ang maghasik ng lagim at karahasan sa mga kanayunan partikular sa mga lugar na pinaglalagakan ng puhunan ng malalaking kumpanya bilang unang hakbang tungo sa kaunlaran gaya ng Dole sa bukidnon. gayundin, itong abbu sayyaf na nagkukunyaring tagapagsulong ng batas ng islam subalit ang pangunahing aktibidad ay kidnap-for-ransom na maliwanag na taliwas sa turo ng Quran sa pagpapalaganap ng kapayapaan.

    tamang si duterte ang akmang maging pangulo SUBALIT hindi magagawa ng isang tao lamang ang pagsugpo sa kriminalidad lalo’t ang mga pagkakatiwalaan niya ay ‘yung mga taong iba ang ginagawa kapag sila ay wala na sa kanyang harapan TULAD ng KKKKKK ni penoy.

  4. MPRivera MPRivera

    ang utak ng masaker na ‘yan sa pakistan ay isang bulag na tagasunod ng taleban na meron ding tatlong maliliit na anak at patunay lamang na gawain ng isang alagad ng kadiliman.

    ang nangyari ay isang uri ng pagganti sapagkat ayon sa taleban ay naniningil lamang sila ng pautang at kabayaran lamang ‘yung pagpatay sa mga kabataang mag-aaral sa mga buhay na kinitil ng government forces sa kanilang lugar noong sila ay sinalakay.

    ganti ganti katwiran, magbayad ang may utang? hanggang saan? hanggang kailan? ang mga inosenteng walang kinalaman ang magbubuwis ng buhay upang hugasan ng dugo ang krimeng dinanakan din ng dugo?

  5. Kung ako si Obama, io-order ko na hanapin ang mga kampo ng Taliban at ISIS (isama na rin ang BIFF) pagkatapos ay bombahin ng US Air Force ng MANTIKANG BABOY!

    Hindi na sila magsu-suicide bomber kailanman dahil wala na silang karapatang kumolekta ng pabuya ni Allah na 72 virgins dahil habambuhay na silang marumi.

    Mas malupit yan kesa sa nuclear bombs para sa mga Muslim.

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