Savages

THE massacre of children by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan in Peshawar last week proves once again that fanaticism and radicalism always ends in cowardly and sacrilegious acts. In the vile attack, 132 schoolchildren and nine teachers were shot dead and 125 others were injured, including some members of the rescue units. The victims were mostly aged between 10 and 20 years of age.

Army Public Schools and Degree Colleges, the educational institutions run by the military, are in a rather vulnerable position. Most of the students are children of members of the military. Peshawar is the capital of Pakhtunkhwa province in the Khyber mountains, an area that has seen much violence in northwestern Pakistan, which borders Afghanistan. This area has long been suspected as the center of Tehreek-e-Taliban activities. According to victims who survived, the attackers spoke in a language they could not understand, implying the attack could involve militia groups found in the border areas between Pakistan and Afghanistan.