A 14-year-old Pakistani boy has earned hero status in the country after he died confronting a suicide bomber at the main gate of his school, police said.
Ninth-grader Aitazaz Hassan Bangash was on his way to the Ibrahimzai School on Monday in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province when he was confronted by the bomber, the boy’s cousin, Musadiq Ali Bangash, told CNN.
Witness Rajab Ali said Aitazaz challenged the bomber and threw a stone at him as he was trying to enter the school.
Aitazaz grabbed the man, and that’s when he panicked and detonated the bomb, the boys said.
The blast killed Aitazaz and the bomber, and two others were injured, witnesses told CNN.
Some locals are calling for the young man to receive a posthumous award for his heroic act.
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“He saved the lives of hundreds of students. He deserves more recognition than Malala Yousafzai,” Nawaz Khan told CNN.
• Jessica Chasmar can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
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