Pakistan: dozens of people killed in mosque blast in Peshawar

 Pakistan: dozens of people killed in mosque blast in Peshawar

At least 32 people dead and 147 wounded in suspected suicide bomb attack in north-western city

 

At least 32 people have been killed and 147 people injured in a suspected suicide bomb attack carried out by the Pakistan Taliban at a mosque in the city of Peshawar, as the security situation in Pakistan continues to deteriorate.

The blast struck as 200 worshipers were praying in the mosque, located in the Police Lines area of the city where the police headquarters and counter-terrorism officers are based. The majority inside the mosque were thought to be officers.

The impact of the explosion collapsed the roof and one wall of the mosque and injured many, said Zafar Khan, a local police officer. Witnesses said the blast took place in the main hall of the mosque just as afternoon prayers were about to begin and worshippers were packed tightly inside.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing but the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), have recently stepped up attacks in the region and have been blamed in similar suicide bombings targeting military and police. The TTP has waged an insurgency in Pakistan for the past 15 years, fighting for stricter enforcement of Islamic laws and the release of jailed members.

Attacks by the TTP have been on the rise since November after a ceasefire with the government broke down.

Rescuers at the scene scrambled to pull worshippers trapped beneath mounds of debris from the fallen roof. Khan said several of the wounded were in a critical condition at a hospital and there were fears the death toll would rise.

Khan said that between 300 and 400 police officers had been in the area when the blast took place. “It is apparent that a security lapse occurred,” he told reporters.

Meena Gul, a police officer, said he was inside the mosque when the bomb went off and could hear cries and screams after the explosion.

The Pakistani prime minister, Shahbaz Shari called it a “suicide attack” and ordered authorities to ensure the best possible medical treatment to the survivors. “Terrorists want to create fear by targeting those who perform the duty of defending Pakistan,” he said in a statement.

The former prime minister Imran Khan said that better intelligence gathering and security for police forces was needed to “combat the growing threat of terrorism”.

Though the TTP are separate from the Taliban in Afghanistan, the Taliban’s ascension to power in Kabul has been seen to empower the group in neighbouring Pakistan, especially in the border province of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

In January, over a dozen Taliban militants attacked a police station in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, while in December dozens of Taliban detainees overpowered their guards at a counter-terrorism centre in Bannu district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, took hostages and seized control of the facility for over 24 hours.

Peshawar has been the target of frequent militant attacks and suicide bombings. In March 2022, 56 worshippers were killed at a blast at a Shia mosque in the city, with Islamic State claiming responsibility.