Over 130 people, mainly children, have been killed in a school massacre carried out by the Taliban in Pakistan earlier today.
The shocking incident took place at an army-run school in Peshawar, with nine militants storming the premises while students were sitting exams.
It has been claimed that the men managed to slip past the school's tight security because they were wearing Pakistani military uniforms and immediately began shooting children.
Several of the militants were wearing suicide vests and several explosions also took place in the school building, with a Taliban spokesperson later taking credit for the attack and saying "we selected the army's school for the attack because the government is targeting our families and females. We want them to feel our pain.".
There were 500 people at the school at the time of the attack, with over 130 confirmed dead and a further 120 injured.
Three national days of the mourning have now been announced in honour of the dead, with one survivor telling
AFP that he was shot in both legs but his life was saved after he decided to play dead.
“Someone screamed at us to get down and hide below the desks. I saw a pair of big black boots coming towards me, this guy was probably hunting for students hiding beneath the benches. 'There are so many children beneath the benches, go get them,' one of the men ordered another. I folded my tie and pushed it into my mouth so that I wouldn’t scream.
"The man with big boots kept on looking for students and pumping bullets into their bodies. I lay as still as I could and closed my eyes, waiting to get shot again. My body was shivering. I saw death so close. I will never forget the black boots approaching me – I felt as though it was death that was approaching me."
All nine militants are now dead and US President Barack Obama has condemned the attack in the "strongest possible terms".
"By targeting students and teachers in this heinous attack, terrorists have once again shown their depravity. We stand with the people of Pakistan, and reiterate the commitment of the United States to support the government of Pakistan in its efforts to combat terrorism and extremism and to promote peace and stability in the region."
