Suicide bombing kills dozens at mosque in Pakistan
A suicide bomber at a mosque in Peshawar, north-western Pakistan, killed at least 59 people and wounded more than 150 yesterday.
Police said the attacker struck during afternoon prayers.
Officials and witnesses said more than 300 worshippers were in the mosque at the time of the bombing. The death toll is expected to rise.
“We’re hearing that the terrorist stood in the first row [for prayers],” Defence Minister Khawaja Asif told Geo TV. The explosion destroyed part of the main hall, trapping people beneath the rubble.
It is the deadliest attack since a suicide bomber killed 64 at a mosque in Peshawar in March last year.
A commander for the Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tahrik-e-Taliban, claimed the group was responsible for the attack on Twitter, but there was no comment from the organisation’s main spokesman.
Meena Gul, a police officer at the mosque, said he was unsure how he escaped unhurt. He said he heard the wounded screaming after the blast, which killed the imam.
The attack occurred after afternoon prayers began, policeman Shahid Ali told AFP.
“I saw black smoke rising to the sky. I ran out to save my life,” he said.
The mosque is inside a well-fortified compound housing the headquarters of the provincial police force and a counter-terrorism department.
Between 300 and 400 police officers were at the site when the attack happened. Several survivors were critically injured, an official at the city’s Lady Reading Hospital told Reuters.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders Afghanistan, has been attacked by ISIS and the Pakistani Taliban, which is separate from but aligned with the ruling Afghan Taliban.
Militants last month seized a counter-terrorism centre in the city of Bannu and took hostages to negotiate with government authorities. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif vowed to take “stern action” against those responsible and said security and counter-terrorism operations would be increased.
“My prayers and condolences go to victims’ families,” said former prime minister Imran Khan. “It is imperative we improve our intelligence gathering and properly equip our police forces to combat the growing threat of terrorism.”
Analysts said the Pakistani Taliban have been emboldened by the Afghan Taliban’s return to power.