Teenage Pakistani Hero Dies After Tackling A Suicide Bomber Targeting His School

Michael KelleyJan 10, 2014, 19:43 IST

AP/Abdul Rehman Pakistani students sit next to a picture of classmate Aitzaz Hasan, who residents and police say died this week while trying to stop a suicide bomber who was targeting his school in a remote village in Hangu, Pakistan, Friday, Jan. 10, 2014. Police said a teacher at the school told investigators that he saw Hasan chasing the attacker and then saw the attacker detonate the bomb that killed the teen. Local resident Miqdar Khan said people in the violence-prone district were hailing the teen as a hero.

A Pakistani teenager has become a national hero after died tackling a suicide bomber targeting his school, BBC reports.

Aitzaz Hasan, aged around 15, and his friends spotted a man wearing a suicide vest. Aitzaz confronted the bomber - who then detonated his vest.

Aitzaz's cousin told BBC that Aitzaz told fellow students "'I'm going to stop him. He is going to school to kill my friends'. He wanted to capture this suicide bomber. He wanted to stop [him]. ... He is a shahid [martyr]. A shahid of his whole nation."

Praise has been pouring in on social media for his bravery, which likely saved numerous lives since students were disembarking from school vans. Almost 2,000 students were in attendance at the time of the attack.

To get an idea of the huge respect, here's a snippet from BBC:

"There have even been calls for him to receive the army's highest honour awarded to those who have sacrificed their life for their country, though it is unclear if he would be qualified to receive it as a civilian."

The attack took place in the Hangu district, an area of northwestern Pakistan that borders one of the country's seven lawless districts on the Afghan border that serve as hubs of Taliban and Al Qaeda-linked militants.

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Teenage Pakistani Hero Dies After Tackling A Suicide Bomber Targeting His School