Pakistan. A school. Gunmen have stormed the school in peshawar. At least 20 people dead, including 17 children. This is according to the Health Minister of pakistan. Lets get to amanisha with the story. Reporter this is turning out to be a horrific attack. Taliban has claimed responsibility saying it sent in six attackers with suicide vests. Those attackers were given orders to target anyone in that school who seemed like they might be, you know, reaching puberty and up. They were supposed to give minors safe passage and free range to target military personnel. Horrendous details on this. Anything between 500 and 700 students still stuck in the school. It is not clear if it is a hostage situation. To repeat the number of fatalities. The number just rose sharply. We initially heard 4 and now 20 of those now dead. Two teachers and one attacker. Police have confirmed to our office in islamabad, there is a military operation under way. Gunfire was heard a short time ago. It has now ceased.
Students. Bill during a visit with troops yesterday president obama said the military had reached quota turning point for the mission reached a turning points for the mission in afghanistan. This month Americas Mission in and already will be over. This month americas war in afghanistan will come to a responsible end. That doesnt mean everything is great in afghanistan. Afghanistan is still a very dangerous place. Martha byron york on the potential political impact. What are we learning about all this now . Reporter we spent a lot of time in peshawar and we have seen a heard about a lot of taliban brutality, but this has got to be the cruellest act these militants have ever committed. The word we are getting is the militants stormed the school and shot away student by student. The school specifically picked because its for the children of the Pakistan Army staff. They have been waging war against the taliban. The death toll we are told is now at 130. Most of them children and young peop
They are saying the military went after us and our families and we are going after you and your families. We want you to feel our pain. What they have said is they are in contact with the attackers inside the school. This is a hostage situation. Now they also put in their statement and we have yet to clarify and crosscheck this with Pakistani Military, this is what Pakistani Taliban put in their statement. They said they effectively took out, they took weapons away from the special services military who entered the school trying to resolve the situation. There was a military operation going on. We dont know what has happened to the special services forces that went in. The individuals that went in. Their weapons were taken away by the pakistani militants. I need to point out that the attackers in the school are wearing suicide vests. This was made clear by Pakistani Taliban. They said they would target children. Children who seem to be reaching around the age of puberty and up. We know
A major shift on the world stage fresh off meetings with President Trump, Angela Merkel suggesting europe cant trust the United States the way it used to. And the white house taking new steps to try to minimize the fallout overrussia after reports the President Trumps soninlaw tried to set up a back channel to speak with the kremlin. Good morning and welcome to early start. Im allisonison kosik. And im dave briggs. Its memial day. And irtsts 5 00 in the east. And implied no confidence sfroet Angela Merkel. She says europe cant completely defend on on the United States and other long time allies. Merkel did not mention President Trump by name, but it was clear who she was thinking of when she mentioned recent International Summits she attended with the president. Translator the times when we could completely count on others, they are over to a certain extent. Ive experienced this in the last new days and that is why i can only say that we europeans must take our fate into our own hands.