Taliban kills 130, mostly children, in Pakistani school attack

The Taliban attacked a school in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar earlier today, killing about 130 people, most of them children. At least half a dozen Taliban militants stormed the Army Public School and Degree College, which has about 1,000 students in grades 1-10.

The Pakistani army quickly engaged the Taliban and worked to retake the school. A Taliban spokesperson told the media that six suicide bombers carried out the attack. Many of the students and teachers escaped, but the Taliban at one point had 200-400 people hostage. The dead were mostly 12-16 years old, said Pervez Khattak, chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Pakistani authorities say they have killed all of the militants involved in the attack.

Peshawar is situated near the opening of the Khyber Pass that snakes through the mountains between Pakistan and Afghanistan. It has been the site of many violent Taliban attacks. In September of last year, the Taliban bombed a Christian church in Peshawar on a Sunday morning, killing 80 people and wounding more than 140.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.