Iran has condemned a deadly assault on Wednesday at a university in northwestern Pakistan, saying the act of terror serves the ominous interests of the enemies of the Muslim world.
At least 21 people were killed when a group of gunmen attacked a hostel for boys on the Bacha Khan University campus in the town of Charsadda, northwestern Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, on Wednesday.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hossein Jaberi Ansari expressed condolences to the bereaved saying Iran urges a united action on the global level to fight terrorism and extremism.
The shooting at the university, located about 48 kilometers (30 miles) from the city of Peshawar, triggered a gunbattle that lasted for hours. Most of the victims were male students who were reportedly shot in the head, while an assistant professor and a cook were also among the dead.
Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said his administration will give a “ruthless response” to the perpetrators of the attack, which he said targeted all of Pakistan.
A hard-line offshoot of the Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the assault although Pakistan’s main Taliban faction denounced it.
Pakistan has seen a number of such attacks over the past months as outlawed militant groups try to avenge the Pakistani military’s heavy-handed crackdown on militants.
In September, the Pakistani Taliban asserted responsibility for an attack on a Pakistani Air Force base in Peshawar. Iran condemned the attack, which killed 29 people.
The Pakistani army says it has managed to kill thousands of terrorists in more than a year of massive operations in tribal areas in the northwest and elsewhere in the country.