A school in Missouri was the scene of another incident of gun violence with three dead, including the shooter

Another tragic incident of gun violence happened at the Central Visual and Performing Arts High School in the Midwestern U.S. city of St. Louis, Missouri. The school specializes in the visual and performing arts and has a student body of around 380. On Monday, a gunman opened fire inside the premises of the high school, killed two people and wounded six others. The police fatally shot the suspect. St. Louis Police identified the victims as a teacher and a teenage girl. Other victims suffered gunshot or shrapnel wounds. The police took prompt action to rush to the scene of shooting and exchanged fire with the shooter. That helped to end the violence on priority. Many of the students barricaded themselves in their classrooms for safety. It seems the principal of the school announced a code word over the loudspeaker. That word indicated the presence of a school shooter in the building. 3 Dead, Including Suspected Gunman, at High School Shooting in Missouri.

The identity of the suspected shooter is not yet established. However, the police described him as a man in his early 20s. His motive is also not known. This was the latest such shooting to happen at a U.S. school. Only last May, a gunman killed 19 children and 2 adults in Uvalde, Texas. At that time, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said lawmakers must take measures to stop gun violence. In her words - “Every day that the Senate fails to send an assault-weapons ban to the president’s desk or waits to take any other common-sense action is a day too late for families and communities impacted by gun violence." Such violence leads to not only the death of innocents but to traumatic experiences for those who witness the sight of blood and bodies writhing in pain all around them.

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India had appealed to the US to refrain from supplying F-16 fighter planes to Pakistan but, it now appears that the deal is going through and that the US government has formally notified the intended sale of eight F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan. The deal is in its final stages.
This has been reported in zeenews.india.com dated 6 March 2016.

Pakistan adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz had indicated in a news briefing in Washington earlier this week that Pakistan had initially requested for 18 F-16s. However, in view of financing problems, it was purchasing just eight. The total cost of the deal would be nearly $700 million. He also added that the F-16s were a critical tool in the war against terrorism.
The US justified the sale as a part of US foreign policy objectives and national security goals because the objective is to help improve the security of a strategic partner in South Asia.
But - India is not happy at this decision. The Indian government and some US lawmakers have criticized the rationale of Washington and have wondered how such an arms transfer will help combat terrorism. They claim that these fighter planes in the hands of Pakistan will change the military balance in South Asia and will ultimately be used against India.
The US has justified its actions by saying that the additional F-16 aircraft in the hands of Pakistan would facilitate operations in non-daylight environments and "enhance Pakistan`s ability to conduct counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations".


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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