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American Morning

Gunmen Attack Christian Pakistani School

Aired August 06, 2002 - 07:02   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: On to Pakistan now, a new theory about that attack on a Christian school for the children of visiting missionaries.

Islamabad bureau chief Ash-har Quraishi joins us now. He is in Islamabad via videophone with the latest.

Ash-har -- hello.

ASH-HAR QURAISHI, CNN ISLAMABAD BUREAU CHIEF: Hello, Daryn.

Well, the search still continues for several men, the assailants in this case who entered the compound of the Christian Murree Church, which is about 35 miles northeast of the capital of Islamabad, where they opened fire and killed six Pakistanis and injured three others.

Now, as we are reporting, the indication is right now that this may have been an attack on foreign nationals. There were about 150 students present during the attack, and about 30 American students there at the time. None of them were injured in this attack.

But right now, police are still looking for these three men. The school officials right now are saying that they are meeting with the board to decide whether or not they are going to reopen this school or what they are going to be doing.

Now, we also understand that there are reports that there may have been warnings given to the school officials a few months ago regarding a possible targeting of this school, because of the nature of the student make-up, those Americans, foreign nationals, as well as Christian missionaries.

Now, this is the third attack against a Christian missionary since Pervez Musharraf, President Pervez Musharraf took a stand with the war against terrorism, and it's also the sixth attack against westerners in Pakistan since then -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Ash-har, I understand you said that there was maybe some warning to this school, but I understand the school had actually done some preparation in reinforcing doors and walls, and also practicing drills with the students and the teachers, and that might have actually saved lives in this attack.

QURAISHI: That's right. The government also hailing the precautions taken by this school. They also say that if it weren't for two of these guards that were killed in this attack, the carnage could have been more. There could have been more damage done.

There were -- there was a class that was outside in the compound being conducted during the time of the attack. Nobody was injured there, and that may have been due to these precautions, according to government officials, as well as school officials -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Ash-har Quraishi in Islamabad, Pakistan -- thank you very much.

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