Soon, the target of the attack was confirmed; gunmen had stormed the Army Public School, where Asfand studied. The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, an umbrella group of armed groups that had been fighting the Pakistani state since 2007, soon claimed responsibility for the assault. In all, the military says it killed more than 4,000 members of armed groups since it launched Zarb-e-Azb, losing hundreds of soldiers in the process. These groups have often found themselves targeted by armed groups. “The action against armed groups happened in a patchwork,” says Hussain.

Source: Pakistan Today December 16, 2018 10:52 UTC