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Border Security Force soldiers (in khaki) and Pakistani Rangers perform the flag-lowering ceremony at the Wagah border on Monday, a day after a suicide bombing on the Pakistani side on Sunday killed 61 persons. India and Pakistan decided to go ahead with the ceremony despite the attack. Meanwhile, an improvised explosive device was found from the parking area on the Pakistan side of the Wagah border outpost on Monday. Three groups have claimed the attack.

Islamabad, Nov. 3: Three militant factions, including splinter groups of the Taliban, have separately claimed responsibility for the suicide attack that took place after the popular flaglowering ceremony at Wagah in Pakistan.

At least 61 people, including 10 women, eight children and three security personnel, have died in the attack that took place yesterday when a suicide attacker detonated a powerful bomb at Wagah.

Al-Qaeda affiliated militant group Jundullah (soldiers of Allah), a splinter group of the Tehrik-iTaliban Pakistan (TTP), was the first to claim the attack.

Shortly afterwards, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar said its bomber Hafiz Hanifullah carried out the attack. Later, a lesser-known Mahar Mehsud group also claimed responsibility for the bombing.

Jamaat-ul-Ahrar on Twitter said the attack was a warning to both Pakistan and India and that such an assault could also happen across the border. It refuted the claims of other groups.

Jamaat-ul-Ahrar also criticised Jundullah as a “fake” Iranian group. Jamaat-ul-Ahrar recently separated from the Tehriki-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) after the army launched an operation in North Waziristan in June.

Led by Omer Khalid Khurasani, it is believed to be capable of lethal attacks. The group had been involved in several high profile attacks, including the attack on Crops Commander of Karachi in 2004, murder of 10 climbers in Gilgit-Baltisitan in 2013 and Peshawar Church bombing in 2013. — PTI