One person is dead and another three are injured after gunmen opened fire at a commercial jet as it prepared to land in the northern Pakistani city of Peshawar Tuesday night.
According to the BBC, police say the Pakistan International Airlines flight was carrying 178 passengers from Saudi Arabia when the plane was hit by at least five bullets. One female passenger was shot and died from her injuries on her way to the hospital.
NBC quotes a local police official: "The bullets pierced through the service door and hit her on the head. She died of severe bleeding."
Officials say the gunfire narrowly missed the captain, but three flight attendants weren't as lucky. An airline spokesperson told reporters they were taken to the military-run hospital in Peshawar. As of early Wednesday, their conditions were still unknown. (Via Geo TV)
It's still unclear who's behind the attack. But many are already pointing the finger at the Pakistani Taliban, which has been fighting the government in the country's northwest.
Taliban militants have been trying to overthrow the Pakistani government for years now and enforce their strict form of Islam across the country. (Via RT)
And because Peshawar is located on the edge of the tribal regions where militants groups like the Taliban are based, the city is often a target for violent attacks. (Via Google)
Just two weeks before this latest deadly incident, the Taliban and an Uzbek militant group claimed responsibility for a massive attack at Pakistan's biggest airport in Karachi. Thirty-four people were killed. (Via Euronews)
In the wake of the Karachi airport attack, the military announced a major offensive against militants who have been hiding out in Pakistan's North Waziristan tribal area. (Via CNN)
But the Taliban has promised to counterattack — prompting concerns the country's security won't be enough to keep its citizens safe.
Officials have promised to tighten security at airports and other potential targets. But critics say Pakistan's police force simply isn't ready to handle something like this. (Via Myanmar International Television)
As for this latest attack, security forces have reportedly launched an intensive hunt for the gunmen responsible. All foreign airlines have suspended their flight operations for Peshawar until further notice.
