Pakistan was shaken this Friday, September 29, by attacks against three mosques, when parishioners were commemorating the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad. The attacks left at least 57 people dead and dozens injured. However, the death toll may increase, as authorities fear there may be more victims under the rubble.
First modification:
3 min
Day of attacks in Pakistan during religious ceremonies. The first and most serious attack occurred against a mosque in the city of Mastung, in the southwestern province of Balochistan, where at least 52 people died and more than 60 were injured.
It was a suicide bomb attack, in the middle of commemoration events for the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad, according to local authorities.
Among the dead was “a senior police officer who was on duty to provide protection during the religious ceremony,” said Mohammad Javed Lehri, the city police station officer.
According to the report of the local station ‘Geo News’, the roof of that mosque collapsed; between 30 and 40 people were reportedly trapped under the rubble.
After learning about these violent events, the acting Minister of the Interior of Pakistan, Sarfraz Bugti, condemned on platform in the country.
“We are committed to a zero-tolerance policy against terrorists,” Bugti said.
Hours after the first suicide detonation, Another explosion took place in a mosque in the neighboring province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which also shares a border with Afghanistan. There, authorities report at least five dead.
Meanwhile, a third explosion took place outside a mosque in Peshawar, also in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, during Friday prayers. Regarding this attack, so far, the authorities have not confirmed any victims.
Nor has any group claimed responsibility for the events, so far.
The authorities warn that The number of victims may increase, due to the dozens of injuries and the people who would have been left under the rubble.
The interim head of government of Balochistan, Mir Ali Mardan Domki, announced three days of mourning as an act of solidarity with the families of the deceased, according to interim provincial Information Minister Jan Achakzai.
Violence escalates in Pakistan with repeated attacks
In Mustang alone, this is the second explosion this month. On September 14, eleven people were injured due to an explosion on the Quetta-Karachi highway, which affected the vehicle in which they were traveling. Among those injured was the religious party leader Jamiat Ulema Islam (JUI), Hafiz Hamdullah.
Pakistan is experiencing a resurgence of Islamist attacks since last year, when a ceasefire agreement between the government and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an organization that brings together several more mainstream Sunni Islamist groups, broke down. conservative
The TTP, which has carried out some of the bloodiest attacks in the country since its formation in 2007, denied having carried out Friday’s attack in Balochistan.
Last July, more than 40 people were killed in a suicide bomb attack in the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during a meeting of a religious political party.
The increase in attacks increases the risks for security forces, ahead of the general elections, scheduled for January 2024.
With Reuters and EFE
#Pakistan #people #killed #suicide #attacks #mosques