Taliban gunmen attacked a school van in Pakistan Tuesday, killing four children and the driver, The Associated Press reported. At least 12 boys, two girls and two female teachers were wounded. The attack was meant to punish local tribesman for resisting the insurgent movement.

Police officer Ejaz Khan told the AP that five gunmen armed with assault rifles and rocket launchers attacked the van in Matani, located on the outskirts of the city of Peshawar. According to the AP, the van was transporting students from Khyber Grammar School. The students killed were boys between the ages of 10 and 15, Khan said.

"First a rocket was fired but it didn't hit. Then gunmen opened fire," Sahibzada Sajjad, deputy superintendent of police in Peshawar told MSNBC.

Two local tribal leaders in Matani have raised local militias to stop militant infiltration into Peshawar, the AP reported. Militants were in control of the area until three years ago.

The local tribal leaders receive government financial and logistical help. Militants now target the leaders and their families.

Mohammad Afridi, a Pakistani Taliban spokesman in a region close to Matani, spoke about the attacks.

“This was to teach them a lesson,” Afridi said to the AP, “and we will continue to carry out attacks wherever and whenever possible no matter if it is a school or a school bus.”

 

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