World

Armed Teacher Fired On Taliban To Protect His Students During Attack

Daily Caller News Foundation logo
Russ Read Pentagon/Foreign Policy Reporter
Font Size:

Professor Syed Hamid Hussein is being hailed as a hero for defending his students from the Taliban with his pistol before being shot and killed.

A party of Tehrik-e-Taliban (TTP) forces, Pakistan’s version of the Taliban, assaulted Bacha Khan University Wednesday and killed 21. Witnesses say the number of dead could have been much higher had it not been for Hussein’s efforts.

Upon hearing gunfire outside, witnesses say Hussein sprang into action and instructed his students to stay inside the classroom. He then opened fire on the Taliban attackers, buying time for those outside to flee.

“We saw three terrorists shouting, ‘Allah is great!’ and rushing towards the stairs of our department,” said one witness.

“[Hussein] was holding a pistol in his hand,” he explained. “Then I saw a bullet hit him. I saw two militants were firing. I ran inside and then managed to flee by jumping over the back wall.”

“They fired directly at the professor,” said Muhammad Daud to AFP, noting how Hussein drew fire away from the students. “[He was] a real gentleman and a respectable teacher.”

Pakistani security forces eventually killed the four attackers, with the Taliban taking credit for the assault thereafter.

Teachers on the university campus were allowed by administrators to carry firearms after an attack on a school in nearby Peshawar left 145 dead, most of them children.

Follow Russ Read on Twitter

Send tips to russ@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.