Pakistan: At least 34 killed and 150 injured in suicide attack

A suicide bomber struck a mosque in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar on Monday, killing at least 34 people and injuring as many as 150, officials said.

Most of the victims were police officers and police officers, as the targeted mosque is located on an extensive compound that doubles as the city’s police headquarters.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing, said Saddique Khan, a senior police official in Peshawar, but the Pakistani Taliban have been blamed for similar suicide bombings in the past.

As casualties mounted, Peshawar police chief Ijaz Khan took the final toll.

The bomber detonated his suicide vest while some 200 worshipers were praying inside or on their way to the mosque to pray.

The police compound is located in a high-security zone in Peshawar, along with several government buildings, and it was unclear how the bomber managed to penetrate so deep into the zone undetected.

The impact of the explosion caused the roof of the mosque to collapse, causing many to collapse and many to be injured, said Zafar Khan, a local police officer.

A survivor, 38-year-old police officer Meena Gul, said he was in the mosque when the bomb went off. He said he doesn’t know how he survived unscathed. He could hear screams and screams after the bomb exploded, Gul said.

Rescuers rushed to clear mounds of rubble from the mosque grounds and reach worshipers still trapped under the rubble, police said. At a nearby hospital, many of the injured were in critical condition as casualties mounted.

Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif issued a statement condemning the bombing and ordered authorities to provide the victims with the best possible medical treatment. He also vowed “severe action” against those behind the attack.

Former Prime Minister Imran Khan also condemned the bombing, calling it a “terrorist suicide bombing” in a Twitter post. My prayers and condolences go out to the families of the victims.

“It is imperative that we improve our intelligence gathering and properly equip our police forces to combat the growing threat of terrorism.”

Peshawar is the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, bordering Afghanistan, and has been the scene of frequent militant attacks.

The Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP, are a separate group but also a close ally of the Afghan Taliban, who seized power in neighboring Afghanistan in August 2021 when US and NATO forces moved into the final phase of the battle. their withdrawal from the country after 20 years of war.

The TTP has waged an insurgency in Pakistan for the past 15 years, fighting for stricter enforcement of Islamic laws in the country, the release of their members held in government custody, and a reduction in Pakistan’s military presence in the former tribal areas of the country.

Pakistan has witnessed a spate of militant attacks since November when the Pakistani Taliban ended their ceasefire with government forces.