Abu Dhabi, capitals (Union, agencies)
His Excellency Dr. Anwar bin Muhammad Gargash, Diplomatic Adviser to His Highness the President of the State, considered that the terrorist bombing that targeted a mosque in Peshawar province, Pakistan, is an indication that confronting extremism and terrorism is a continuous challenge, stressing that confronting this ideology is a priority and a necessity at all levels, and this came as the number of victims increased. The explosion left about 100 dead and 220 injured.
His Excellency Dr. Anwar Gargash said, in a tweet posted on his official account on Twitter: “The massacre of the Peshawar mosque in Pakistan, which claimed the lives of dozens of worshipers, is a sad indication that confronting extremism and terrorism is an ongoing challenge. The ideology of extremism that justifies targeting places of worship and worshipers is behind this violence and terrorism. This thought at all levels is a priority and a necessity.”
Pakistani officials said yesterday that the death toll from the bombing that targeted a mosque frequented by policemen in the city of Peshawar has risen to 100. About 221 people were wounded in the bombing that took place yesterday, in a crowded mosque, located within a tight security area near a police headquarters.
At least 10 bodies were recovered from the rubble of the mosque overnight.
Between 300 and 400 people were praying inside the mosque located inside the heavily guarded headquarters when the bombing occurred.
Ayaz Khan, a local police official, said the majority of the victims were policemen and clerics.
“We are on the front line in this battle against the armed movements, and this is the reason for the targeting,” said Peshawar Police Director Muhammad Khan. “The aim was to weaken our morale as a police force.”
As funeral prayers were held for the victims, an investigation was launched into how the multi-layered security infrastructure at the site was breached.
“It was nothing less than an attack on Pakistan,” Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said of the bombing, one of the deadliest in the country in years.
Moazzam Jah Ansari, the police chief in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa state, of which Peshawar is the capital, told reporters that “a suicide bomber managed to enter the mosque carrying between 10 to 12 kilograms of explosives in small pieces.”
Yesterday, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa declared public mourning. The head of the caretaker government in the region, Muhammad Azam Khan, said, in a press statement, that “the national flag will be flown at half mast in all parts of the region.” He expressed his condolences to the families of the victims, stressing that “the regional government will not abandon them in this tragedy.”
The attack is one of the deadliest attacks in Pakistan in years, and no one has claimed responsibility for the attack in Peshawar, located on the border with Afghanistan, in light of the high rate of violence and the worsening security situation in Pakistan.
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