Pakistan Lifts Death Penalty Ban After Massacre

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The Pakistani Prime Minister has lifted a ban on the death penalty in terrorism cases after Taliban gunmen killed 132 children and nine teachers at a school in Peshawar.

Three days of mourning have begun after the country suffered its deadliest terror attack which saw nine men storm the army-run school while around 500 children and teachers were believed to be inside.

Tehreek-e-Taliban insurgents moved from room to room during the eight hour attack in what is believed to have been an act of revenge for a major military offensive in the region.

In the wake of the mass shooting, a drone strike in Afghanistan is reported to have killed 11 militants including four Pakistan Taliban.

Meanwhile, a suicide attack and gunfight are ongoing at a bank branch in Helmand.

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Gallery: Taliban Gunmen Kill 132 Children In Northern Pakistan City

Militants from the Pakistani Taliban attacked an army-run school in Peshawar on Wednesday

They killed 141 people, 132 of whom were children

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Students told stories of gunmen entering classrooms and firing at random

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Swipe through for more pictures..

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Funerals of many of the victims of the Pakistan massacre have already taken place with the rest to follow later.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif described the attack as a "national tragedy unleashed by savages".

"These were my children. This is my loss. This is the nation's loss."

Teenage survivor Shahrukh Khan, who ducked below his desk with classmates when four gunmen burst into their room, described how he played dead after being shot in both legs, stuffing his tie into his mouth to stifle his screams.

"I saw a pair of big black boots coming towards me, this guy was probably hunting for students hiding beneath the benches," the 15-year-old said.

"The man with big boots kept on looking for students and pumping bullets into their bodies. I lay as still as I could and closed my eyes, waiting to get shot again.

"My body was shivering. I saw death so close and I will never forget the black boots approaching me - I felt as though it was death that was approaching me."

Chief military spokesman General Asim Bajwa that 125 people had been wounded in the assault.

Gen Bajwa said the attackers, equipped with enough ammunition and food to last for a number of days, only wanted to kill.

"The terrorists started indiscriminate firing as they entered the auditorium so they had no intention of taking any hostages," he said.

It comes after a district government official confirmed a US drone strike in eastern Afghanistan killed four Pakistani Taliban and seven other insurgents on Tuesday.

The Afghan Taliban issued a statement condemning the attack in Peshawar.

A statement from the UN Security Council condemned the "depraved" and "savage terrorist attack" against children and expressed condolences to the victims and their families.

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