Suicide bombing at a Shiite mosque on Islamabad’s outskirts kills at least 31 : NPR
People comfort a man, center, mourning the death of his loved one, near the site of a bomb blast at a Shiite mosque in Islamabad, Pakistan.
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ISLAMABAD — A suicide bomber targeted a Shiite mosque on the outskirts of Islamabad during Friday prayers, killing 31 people and wounding at least 169 others, officials said.
Television footage and social media footage showed police and residents transporting the injured to nearby hospitals. Some of those injured in the attack on the vast Khadija Al-Kubra mosque are said to be in critical condition.
Rescuers and witnesses described a heartbreaking scene, with bodies and injured people lying on the carpet of the mosque. Hussain Shah said he was praying in the courtyard of the mosque when he heard a sudden, loud explosion.
“I immediately thought a big attack had taken place,” he said. He then entered the mosque, in total chaos: many injured people were screaming and calling for help. Shah said he counted around 30 bodies inside the mosque, while the number of injured appeared significantly higher.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the blast, but suspicion will likely fall on militants such as the Pakistani Taliban or the Islamic State group, blamed for previous attacks on Shiite worshippers, a minority in the country. Militant groups across Pakistan often target security forces and civilians.
A surge in militant attacks
Pakistani security officers and emergency workers gather at the site of a bomb blast at a Shiite mosque, Islamabad, Pakistan.
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Although attacks are not that frequent in Islamabad, Pakistan has seen a surge in militant violence in recent months, largely blamed on Baloch separatist groups and the Pakistani Taliban, known as the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, which is a separate group, but allied with the Afghan Taliban. A regional affiliate of the Islamic State group is also active in the country.
In the aftermath of the blast, the number of casualties was lower, but Islamabad Deputy Commissioner Irfan Memon gave the latest toll.
Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif wrote on X that preliminary findings suggest the suicide bomber was traveling to and from Afghanistan. Asif said security guards at the mosque tried to intercept the suspect, who opened fire on them and then detonated his explosives among worshipers.
The condition of the guards was not immediately known. Pakistan often accuses Afghanistan, where the Taliban regained power in August 2021 as US and NATO troops withdrew after 20 years of war, of harboring militants and members of the Pakistani Taliban. Kabul denies this accusation.
The Afghan Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Friday saying that “the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan condemns such attacks which violate the sanctity of holy rituals and mosques and target worshipers and innocent people.”
The attack also drew condemnation from the international community, including the United States and the European Union. Condolences and condemnations also poured in from various embassies in Islamabad.
Political and religious leaders condemn attack
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif offered their condolences to the families of the victims in separate statements and requested that all possible medical assistance be provided to the injured.
“Targeting innocent civilians is a crime against humanity,” Zardari said. “The nation stands with the affected families during this difficult time.”
“Those responsible must be identified and punished,” Sharif said. Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also condemned the attack.
Friday’s attack occurred as Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, on a two-day official visit, attended an event with Sharif. The event in Islamabad took place several kilometers from the blast site.
A senior Shiite leader, Raja Nasir, expressed deep sadness following the attack on Khadija Al-Kubra.
“Such a terrorist act in the federal capital not only constitutes a grave failure in protecting human lives but also raises important questions about the performance of the authorities and law enforcement agencies,” he said, asking people to donate blood as hospitals in Islamabad were in urgent need of blood for the injured.
The last deadliest attack in Islamabad dates back to 2008, when a suicide bomber targeted the capital’s Marriott hotel, killing 63 people and injuring more than 250 others. In November, a suicide bomber struck outside a court in Islamabad, killing 12 people.
The latest attack came almost a week after the outlawed Baloch Liberation Army carried out several attacks in the insurgency-hit southwestern Balochistan province, killing around 50 people.
Security forces responding to these attacks also killed more than 200 “terrorists,” according to the military.
