Peshawar school massacre

Witness History

BBC

History, Personal Journals, Society & Culture

4.4 • 1.6K Ratings

🗓️ 16 December 2024

⏱️ 11 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Ten years ago, the Taliban killed more than 140 people at Peshawar Army School on 16 December 2014.

It’s one of the worst terror attacks in Pakistan’s history. Chemistry teacher Andaleeb Aftab survived by hiding in the staff toilets.

The majority killed were young students, including Andaleeb’s 16-year-old son.

She speaks to Ella Rule.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.

Recent episodes explore everything from football in Brazil, the history of the ‘Indian Titanic’ and the invention of air fryers, to Public Enemy’s Fight The Power, subway art and the political crisis in Georgia. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: visionary architect Antoni Gaudi and the design of the Sagrada Familia; Michael Jordan and his bespoke Nike trainers; Princess Diana at the Taj Mahal; and Görel Hanser, manager of legendary Swedish pop band Abba on the influence they’ve had on the music industry. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the time an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at the President of the United States in protest of America’s occupation of Iraq; the creation of the Hollywood commercial that changed advertising forever; and the ascent of the first Aboriginal MP.

(Photo: People light candles in memory of victims of the Peshawar Army School terror attack. Credit: Asif Hassan/AFP via Getty Images)

Transcript

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0:00.0	You're about to listen to a BBC podcast, but this is about something else you might enjoy.
0:05.4	My name's Katie Lecky and I'm an assistant commissioner for on demand music on BBC Sounds.
0:10.7	The BBC has an incredible musical heritage and culture and as a music lover, I love being part of that.
0:17.4	With music on sounds, we offer collections and mixes for everything, from workouts to
0:22.4	helping you nod off, boogie in your kitchen, or even just a moment of calm. And they're all
0:28.1	put together by people who know their stuff. So if you want some expertly curated music in your life,
0:34.9	check out BBC Sounds.
0:40.3	Music in your life. Check out BBC Sounds. Thanks for downloading the Witness History podcast from the BBC World Service with me, Ella Ruhl.
0:47.3	Today I'm taking you back 10 years to one of the worst terror attacks in Pakistan's history,
0:52.3	which the Taliban, an extreme Islamic group, claimed responsibility for.
0:58.0	It's the 16th of December 2014,
1:01.0	and chemistry teacher under Lee Baftab is hiding for her life in the school staff toilets.
1:06.4	Her story contains graphic descriptions of violence.
1:09.3	We were hearing the voices of the terrorists.
1:12.3	You know, we were just waiting for our own decks.
1:16.8	A group of Taliban gunmen stormed the building this morning, opening fire on children in their
1:21.6	classrooms. More than 140 people are now known to have been killed, the vast majority of them,
1:26.7	young pupils.
1:33.7	The day started like any of a for Underlieb and has 16-year-old son, Husepha, a pupil at the school. When I entered the college, that was a usual day. We were in the parking area,
1:40.5	and Hosepha took pocket money from his father.
1:46.0	And I was looking at him.
1:47.7	That was very usual.
	...

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