Six or seven militants are said to have stormed the school building taking hundreds of students hostage in the bloodiest insurgent attack in Pakistan in years.
Witnesses inside the school say six to seven armed men walked class-to-class and opened fire on children. Bodies of victims found in corridors are said to have been shot with multiple bullets.
Taliban spokesman Muhammad Umar Khorasani told Reuters his group was responsible for the attack.
“Our suicide bombers have entered the school, they have instructions not to harm the children, but to target the army personnel,” he said.
“It’s a revenge attack for the army offensive in North Waziristan,” he said, referring to an anti-Taliban military offensive that began in June.
Pakistani military officials say six Taliban attackers have been killed at the school. A search continues for the remaining gunmen. Special forces rescued two children and two staff members from the facility.