Two children killed, six injured in Attock school van attack

By Staff Reporter

ISLAMABAD: Unidentified gunmen attacked a school van in Attock on Thursday, killing two girls and wounding six others, including five children and the driver, police and rescue officials said.

The attack, which occurred around 8am in Dheri Chohan village near the Saddar area of Attock, was linked to a personal feud between the gunmen and the driver’s family, according to an Attock police spokesman.

“Two children were killed and five children were injured when gunmen indiscriminately opened fire on a school van,” the spokesman said. “This incident occurred due to ‘personal enmity between two groups, with the van driver as the main target.”

The gunmen, who fled the scene, were embroiled in court cases with the driver’s family. The victims, aged between 8 and 12, were on their way to school when the attack happened. The driver, targeted in the shooting, was also injured.

The Attock police reached the site of the incident while the injured and the bodies were shifted to a hospital. A case has been registered against the suspects, and raids are being conducted to arrest them, the spokesman said. “I hope the culprits will be arrested soon.”

President Asif Ali Zardari condemned the incident, calling it a “cruel and shameful act” and demanding strict action against those responsible.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif described the attack as “cruel and gruesome” and directed authorities to take stern action against the culprits.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said, “Those who target innocent children do not deserve to be called human. Firing on children in a school van is an act of brutality. Those who display such barbarism do not deserve any leniency.”