New York – The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Leila Zerrougui, strongly condemns the horrific attack against the Army Public School and Degree College in Peshawar, Pakistan. According to local media, over 125 people died, including at least 100 children in the deadliest terror attack on Pakistani soil in years.
“I am shocked and outraged by this massacre of innocent civilians and children,” said Leila Zerrougui. “I stand with the victims and their families in this tragedy. Targeting children at their school is not only a heinous crime, it is senseless and intolerable.”
Witnesses described how gunmen entered the school, attended mostly by children of Pakistani military personnel, and opened fire indiscriminately on teachers and students.
“The Tehrik-i-Taliban, who claimed today’s attack, continue to demonstrate that they have no regard for human rights,” Zerrougui added. “They must be held accountable.”
In 2013, seventy-eight attacks against schools, teachers and schoolchildren were reported to the United Nations in Pakistan. The attacks were mainly carried out by the Tehrik-i-Taliban and aligned local groups in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, of which Peshawar is the capital.
###
Stephanie Tremblay
Communications Officer
Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict
Tel: +1 212 963-8285
Mobile: +1 917 288-5791
tremblay@un.org
Follow us on Twitter and facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/childrenandarmedconflict
