‘Bodies of 160 schoolgirls torn to shreds’

2026-03-08 - 05:07

By Matilda Ikediobi Poet and playwright, John Pepper Clark, was no stranger to the biting realities of war. Having lived through the haunting Nigerian civil war, which claimed millions of lives, Clark captured the pain and devastation that the war left behind. In his famous poem: ‘Casualties,’ the poet stated that the casualties of wars are not only those who ignite a fire and cannot put it out, but also the thousands who burn despite having no say in the matter. Today, that reality is playing out in the armed conflict involving Israel, the United States and Iran, where more than 160 girl students who had no say in the matter bore the consequences of a conflict they never chose. Penultimate Saturday, an attack reportedly struck the Shajareh Tayyebeh Girls’ Elementary School in southern Iran, leaving more than 160 girl students affected, young victims who, like the thousands Clark wrote about, had no say in the fires of war. Before then, the US had launched strikes on Iran last Saturday, which Israel and the President Donald Trump-led country had planned for months. The attacks led to the killing of the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Later, Iran launched retaliatory strikes, and it targeted multiple military bases of the US. Iran official account Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian called the incident that claimed the young children’s lives a “barbaric act” and “another black page in the record of countless crimes committed by the aggressors.” Iran’s Foreign Minister, Seyed Araghchi, who shared a picture of the killed girls, accompanied it with a statement that read: “These are graves being dug for more than 160 innocent young girls who were killed in the US-Israeli bombing of a primary school. Their bodies were torn to shreds. This is the rescue promised by Mr Trump in reality. From Gaza to Minab, innocents murdered in cold blood.” Before then, the minister had also shared the image of a building destroyed in a primary school in Southern Iran. Meanwhile, the picture of the dead girls showed cranes, manpower and heavy infrastructure being used to dig the holes where they would be buried. In the uninviting visuals, one can see almost 20 graves in a row, waiting to receive the young girls. Funerals At their funeral, Tuesday, hundreds of mourners packed the streets to pay their respects to the young girls. Coffins draped in the flag of the Islamic Republic were carried through the crowds, as a voiceover recounted the grief of mothers and fathers who had lost their daughters. Iranian officials said the school, located about 600m (1,970 ft) from an Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, IRGC base, was hit by three missiles. The six-day working week in Iran runs from Saturday to Thursday, with Friday being the only official day of rest, meaning the school was likely occupied when it was hit. US officials react On Monday, the BBC asked the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, if the school building was struck by an American missile and he said: “The US would not deliberately target a school. We would have no interest, and frankly, no incentive to target civilian infrastructure. I don’t have the details as to what led to it, but what is clear is that the United States would not target a school.” Meanwhile, Centcom spokesman, Tim Hawkins, in a statement, said: “We take these reports seriously. The protection of civilians is of utmost importance, and we will continue to take all precautions available to minimise the risk of unintended harm.” On Wednesday, US Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth, told the BBC the US is still investigating the incident. He said: “We of course never target civilian targets, but we are taking a look at investigating that.” War crime According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, attacking a school, hospital or other civilian structure is a war crime, and indiscriminate strikes also violate international law. The law requires that even if schools are used for military purposes, armed parties must avoid or minimise harm to civilians and civilian infrastructure. ICRC, in a statement published in 2023, stated that international humanitarian law requires warring parties to refrain from attacking students, teachers, and their schools. The statement titled: ‘Students, teachers and schools should always be protected in armed conflict,’ said: “Children are civilians. Teachers are too. Schools are civilian buildings. It is that civilian character that offers them protection during the conduct of hostilitie