2014 Peshawar school attack — terrorist attack on the Army Public School in the Pakistani city of Peshawar
The deadliest terrorist attack on a school in Pakistani history, killing 132 children and prompting sweeping national counter-terrorism reforms.
Key Facts
- Total killed
- 149 people
- Children killed
- 132 schoolchildren (ages 8–18)
- People rescued
- 960
- Attackers
- 6 foreign nationals (TTP-affiliated)
- Global ranking
- 8th deadliest school massacre in history
- Mastermind killed
- Omar Khorasani, killed 7 August 2022
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, a militant Islamist group, orchestrated the attack as part of an ongoing insurgency against the Pakistani state. Six foreign nationals — one Chechen, three Arabs, and two Afghans — were recruited and dispatched to target a military-affiliated school in Peshawar, deliberately choosing children of army personnel.
On 16 December 2014, the six gunmen stormed the Army Public School in Peshawar, opening fire on staff and students. Pakistan Army SSG special forces launched a rescue operation, killing all six attackers and evacuating 960 people. In total, 149 people were killed, including 132 schoolchildren between the ages of eight and eighteen.
Pakistan lifted its moratorium on the death penalty, passed a constitutional amendment authorizing military courts to try civilians, and created the National Action Plan to intensify counter-terrorism efforts. Four militants were hanged in December 2015, and further convictions were upheld by the Supreme Court in 2016. The attack's mastermind, Omar Khorasani, was killed in Afghanistan in 2022.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
1 belligerent