62 die in mosque attack
AT LEAST 62 congregants, including the Imam-e-Jumah (leader of Friday prayers) Irshad Khalili, were killed and more than 200 injured in a suicide bomb attack during Friday prayers at a Shia mosque in Peshawar’s Kucha Risaldar area.
IANS reported that two people entered the mosque, referred to as Imam Bargah, and gunfire was exchanged with security forces. One of the attackers was killed.
An eyewitness, who identified one of the men as the suicide bomber, said he entered, shot and killed a security guard and then fired five to six bullets at the police. He then rushed towards the main hall and blew himself up in front of the pulpit.
Another person said that despite residents asking for tighter security due to a recent hand grenade attack in the area, this suicide bombing was neither anticipated nor prevented.
Prime Minister Imran Khan condemned the attack. He ordered immediate medical aid be provided to the wounded.
The Islamic State of Khorasan (IS-K) has claimed responsibility. The IS-K, which is active in the region, claimed an Afghan suicide bomber executed the terror attack.
On Friday, Antonio Guterres, the UN Secretary-General, tweeted: “Houses of worship should be havens, not targets. I condemn the horrific attack on a mosque in Peshawar, Pakistan, during Friday prayers. My condolences to those who have lost loved ones and my solidarity with the people of Pakistan.”
In a press statement issued on Sunday, on behalf of all 15 members, Lana Zaki Nusseibeh, the president of the UN Security Council, referred to the incident as a heinous and cowardly terrorist attack. IS-K and its parent organisation Islamic State, consider Shias enemies of the faith and target them frequently.
“The members of the Security Council reaffirmed that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security,” Nusseibeh said.
She is the Permanent Representative of the United Arab Emirates, which holds the Council’s presidency this month.
The press statement expressed the unanimous sentiments of the members of the Council, which is sometimes arrived at through consultations without formal meetings and is less formal than a resolution.
Nusseibeh said that the Council members underlined the need to bring perpetrators, organisers, financiers and sponsors of these acts of terrorism to justice.
She urged all states, in accordance with their obligations under international law and relevant Security Council resolutions, to co-operate actively with the Government of Pakistan and all other relevant authorities in this regard.
In October, the IS-K bombed the Bibi Fatima Mosque and the Gozar-e-Sayed Abad Mosque in Kunduz, Afghanistan, killing about 50 people in each of the attacks a week apart.
According to the US State Department’s International Report on Religious Freedom issued last year, other terrorist groups, including Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, and the Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan, staged attacks on Shia Muslims, including the predominantly Shia Hazara community in Pakistan. |