Brussels/Strasbourg, 17/12/2014 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 16 December, the EU condemned the attack on a military school in Peshawar (Pakistan) by a Taliban commando. The attack left 141 people dead, 132 of them school children.
The attack “leaves us all in a state of shock”, said High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, who described the day as “tragic”. “When innocents are killed, when children are targeted in their place of study, it is an attack not only on universally recognised values and rights but also on the future of the country, on all our futures”, she continued.
In Mogherini's view, the attack is a reminder of how strong the threat posed by the Taliban still is and of how “fragile and dangerous the situation in the region remains”. “The European Union stands fully committed to tackle the threat posed by terrorism and ready to further assist the Pakistani government”, she added.
European Parliament President Martin Schulz stated that “this heinous and cowardly crime leaves all of us stunned and speechless. It once again demonstrates the Taliban's moral depravity, whose inhuman ideology and merciless fanaticism does not even spare innocent children.” “This crime is despicable and I can only express my indignation”, he said. (CG/SP)