Suicide bomber kills 89 in Pakistan's Peshawar mosque

 

Suicide bomber kills 89 in Pakistan's Peshawar mosque

Police officer Shahid Ali said the explosion occurred seconds after the imam began praying.

Peshawar: More than 80 people were killed and more than 150 injured after bodies were pulled from the wreckage of a mosque explosion at police headquarters in northwest Pakistan on Tuesday.

The attack took place during Monday afternoon prayers in Peshawar, the provincial capital near the Afghan border where militants are steadily increasing.

Rescuers searched through the rubble of the walls and collapsed roof of the bombed mosque overnight and found the bodies of at least nine people.

23-year-old police officer Wajahat Ali told AFP at a hospital on Tuesday: "I was trapped under rubble for seven hours with a dead body on top of it. I had no hope of survival." said.

Mohammad Asim Khan, spokesman for Peshawar's main hospital, told AFP the death toll rose to 89 as more bodies were brought from the scene, with about 150 others, officials said. a person was injured.

More than 90 percent of the victims were police officers, of whom between 300 and 400 had gathered in the compound's mosque to pray, city police chief Mohammad Ijaz Khan told AFP.

Bilal Ahmad Faizi, a spokesman for rescue group 1122, told AFP: "This morning we will remove the last part of the collapsed roof so that more bodies can be found, but there is no hope of finding any survivors." said.

Police officer Shahid Ali said the explosion occurred seconds after the imam began praying.

"I saw black smoke in the sky. I rushed to help," the 47-year-old told AFP.

After prayer services, at least 20 police officers were buried, their coffins lined up and decorated with Pakistani flags.

A police officer told AFP that the two men were surrounded by a guard of honor.

"The terrorists want to create fear by attacking those who do their duty to protect Pakistan," Pakistani Prime Minister Shebaz Sharif said in a statement.

-Increase Combat Power-

Since the return of the Afghan Taliban to Kabul, the security situation in Pakistan, which was plagued by bombings before a major military crackdown almost a decade ago, has deteriorated.

Analysts say militants have become more daring, with Islamabad accusing the new rulers of failing to defend its mountainous borders, allowing militants to come and go unnoticed.

Security forces, including the police, have targeted low-costal attacks, primarily against the Taliban in Pakistan, but also against local branches of ISIS, whose numbers have increased following the liberation of prisons in Afghanistan in 2021. It is

In a statement, the Pakistani Taliban, which differs from the Afghan Taliban but shares a similar Islamist ideology, denied responsibility for the recent bombings.

The group, known as the Taliban Movement of Pakistan, is trying to reestablish itself as a less brutal group, claiming it avoids targeting places of worship.

Peshawar's police headquarters are located in one of the city's most tightly controlled areas, adjacent to the District Secretariat and housing the Intelligence and Counter-Terrorism Department.

States across the country declared high alert in the wake of the blast, increasing checkpoints and deploying additional security forces. Meanwhile, in Islamabad, the capital, snipers have been deployed at buildings and at city entrances.

A serious security flaw occurred on the day United Arab Emirates President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan was due to visit Islamabad, despite the trip being canceled at the last minute due to bad weather. Did.

Pakistan is also preparing to host an IMF delegation on Tuesday to unlock a critical bailout loan to prevent a looming default.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned Monday's blast as "heinous", while Secretary of State Antonio Brinken offered condolences for the "terrifying attack".