LONDON: Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai said she was `heartbroken` by the `senseless` killing of more than 100 schoolchildren on Tuesday in Peshawar.

`I am heartbroken by this senseless and cold blooded act of terror in Peshawar, she said in a statement.

`I condemn these atrocious and cowardly acts and stand united with the government and armed forces of Pakistan whose efforts so far to address this horrific event are commendable.

Seventeen-year-old Malala, who now lives in Britain, became a global icon after she was shot and nearly killed by the Taliban in Swat in October 2012 for insisting that girls had a right to an education.-AFP