This Devastating Photo Puts Pakistan's Worst Ever Terrorist Attack Into Perspective

On December 16th, the Pakistani Taliban assaulted the Army Public School in the northern Pakistani city of Peshawar, killing 145 people, including more than 100 children. It is the worst single terrorist attack in the country's history.

Two teenagers who survived the attack are now driving the reality home with a set of Facebook photos that show their before and after.

The first image shows four teenagers wearing Army Public School uniforms, while standing on the cricket pitch at the school. From left to right, the boys are Talha Munir Paracha, Rafiq Raza Bangash, Hassan Javed Khan, and Mohammad Yaseen. It was taken before the attack by Yaseen, who was an avid photographer.

The second image was taken after the attack and depicts the two boys who survived: Talha Munir Paracha and Hassan Javed Khan. Paracha and Khan arranged the photo as a tribute to their slain friends.

Like many photos taken by the school's attendees prior to the attack, both photos have been shared widely on social media and picked up by news organizations.

The original photo was posted with the caption "Friends uplift the soul."

The Pakistani Taliban has said that the attack was retaliation for the military's ongoing operations against the Taliban, which have been ramped up in tribal areas since June.