Pakistan militants kill woman school teacher

A female school teacher was shot dead by motorcycle-borne militants in the restive Khyber tribal region of northwest Pakistan on Tuesday, officials said.

Shahnaz Nazli, 41, was going to her school when she was intercepted and shot by armed men riding a motorcycle in Shahkus area of Jamrud sub-division, officials of the local political administration said.

The suspected militants fled after the shooting.

Shahnaz sustained critical injuries and died later in a nearby hospital.

The motive behind the killing could not immediately be ascertained and no group claimed responsibility for the incident.

Militants including the Taliban opposed to girls' education in the northwest, have attacked hundreds of schools in recent years and have also targeted teachers and workers of NGOs in the tribal belt.

Last October, Taliban militants shot and wounded 15-year-old schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai while she was campaigning for girls' education in the restive Swat Valley, an incident that made headlines around the world.

Several militant groups, including the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan and Lashkar-e-Islam are active in Khyber Agency.