WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) released the following statement in response to the Pakistani Taliban’s brutal attack on a military-run school in northwestern Pakistan:

The brutal slaughter of more than 140 innocent civilians, mostly school children, by the Taliban in Peshawar, Pakistan shocks the conscience. My heart goes out to the victims and their families, to the people of Pakistan and to the Pakistani community in Connecticut and across the United States. The senseless murder of innocent children, whether at a school in Pakistan or here in the United States, ranks among the most heinous and cowardly acts of depravity. The Taliban have once again demonstrated that they have nothing to offer but violence and fear. The United States today stands together with the people of Pakistan in their efforts to counter extremism and to build a better future for their children.