At least 21 people have been killed and over 50 wounded after a number of gunmen stormed the Bacha Khan University in Charsadda town in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan early Wednesday morning.

A number of armed men entered the university and opened fire at about 9am local time. Several explosions were also heard inside the building. 

Armed forces moved in quickly and started a clearance operation. 

The Bacha Khan University vice chancellor and police officials confirmed that among the was a professor, Dr Hamid, and four security guards.

Officials have also confirmed that at least two gunmen have been killed. 

A KPK provincial minister Shaukat Yousafzai said that security forces say at least 10 armed men are involved in the attack.

Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan however claimed responsibility and said they deployed four suicide attackers for the assault.

There are 3,000 students enrolled at the university. The gunmen reportedly entered the premises by scaling a back wall.

They then opened fire on students and faculty members who had gathered for a poetry recital to commemorate the anniversary of the death of the activist and leader of whom the school is named after.

Charsadda is about 50 km from the city of Peshawar, the scene of a 2014 massacre by the Taliban of more than 130 students at a school.

Wednesday’s attack come days after some schools in Peshawar were closed by authorities amid reports that militants were planning an attack.