Those killed included four Muslims and a Christian. No student was either killed or hurt in the attack on the school, 4 miles outside Murree in Ghayal village. Police said the assailants came riding motorcycles, sprayed bullets around and vanished into the nearby woods, but local residents said the gunmen came on foot. Monday's attack is the third against Pakistan's Christians.
Last October, gunmen opened fire on a Sunday Church service in Bahawalpur, in central Pakistan, killing 18 people. On March 17, grenades were hurled at worshippers inside an Islamabad church, killing five people, including the wife and daughter of an American diplomat. Officials link the attacks to Pakistan's support for the U.S.-led war on terrorism.
Today's attacks prompted the United States Monday to close its consulate in the southern port city of Karachi. "The consulate-general has been closed for security reasons," spokeswoman Linda Cheatham said in a prepared statement. She did not elaborate.
