Pakistani Taliban controlled university attack from Afghanistan: army chief

Pakistani army chief, Gen. Raheel Sharif, on Thursday told Afghan leaders and commander of the foreign forces that the attack on a university was controlled by a Pakistani Taliban leader from the Afghan side of the border.

The attack on the university in the northwestern Charsadda district on Wednesday killed 21 students, teachers and security guards. A Taliban commander Omar Mansoor had claimed responsibility for the attack. The security forces had killed all the four attackers in a three-hour encounter.

The military spokesman had earlier stated that one of the attackers had received calls from an Afghan mobile number during the attack.

Security officials insist the Pakistani Taliban have fled to Afghanistan as the result of the military operations and now operate from there.

The army chief called Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, Chief Executive Dr. Abdullah Abdullah and Commander Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan, Gen. John Campbell and shared details with them about the attack on the university, the military said.

"As investigations lead so far, Charsadda terror attack was being controlled from a location in Afghanistan through an Afghan cell phone by a TTP operative," a statement from the army's Inter- Services Public Relations said.

The army chief asked for their cooperation in locating and targeting those responsible for the attack and bringing them to justice.

Afghanistan has condemned the attack at Bacha Khan University in Charsadda.

"The terrorist attacks on a center of education amount to attacks on the future generations which are also contrary to all the Islamic and international principles," the Afghan Foreign Ministry said.