Pakistan mourns Taliban victims

The people of Pakistan began three days of mourning on Wednesday for the 132 children and nine staff killed at Peshawar's Army Public School and College a day earlier.

There were fears that the death toll could rise further, with scores of children having sustained serious bullet wounds, some still in a critical condition.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who declared the mourning period, also pledged to step up efforts against the Taliban. "The fight will continue. No one should have any doubt about it," Sharif warned. "We will take account of each and every drop of our children's blood."

The massacre began when seven gunmen entered the school in the morning. They opened fire on students in a packed auditorium and went from classroom to classroom firing shots.

Suicide vest detonated

All seven attackers, wearing vests of explosives, died in the eight-hour assault as army commandos regained control of the building. At least one of the militants was said to have detonated an explosive vest.

An overwhelming sense of disbelief permeated the responses of world leaders to Tuesday's attack.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said it had been "an act of horror and rank cowardice to attack defenseless children while they learn."

In Europe, German Chancellor Angela Merkel voiced her shock at the nature of the attack - the deadliest in Pakistan's history.

"The news of the terrorist attack on a school in Peshawar has shaken me deeply," said Merkel. "The hostage-taking and murder of children and young people is a barbarity that cannot be surpassed."

'Dark day for humanity'

There were similar responses from other European countries, with British Prime Minister David Cameron saying the attack defied belief. "It is a dark, dark day for humanity when something on this scale happens with no justification," he said.

Meanwhile, US President Barack Obama gave a statement affirming that "we stand with the people of Pakistan."

"Our hearts and prayers go out to the victims, their families, and loved ones," said Obama. "By targeting students and teachers in this heinous attack, terrorists have once again shown their depravity."

The attack has been claimed by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) as revenge for Pakistan's major military offensive against it in the region. The group said it had told the attackers to target older children.

Taliban militants in neighboring Afghanistan decried the killing spree in a statement released late Tuesday: "The intentional killing of innocent people, women and children goes against the principles of Islam and every Islamic government and movement must adhere to this fundamental essence."

rc/bk (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)