By Naveed Naqvi
ISLAMABAD: A suspected suicide bombing at a mosque packed with worshippers during afternoon prayers in Peshawar on Monday killed at least 44 people and wounded another 175, mostly policemen, officials said.
Many of the casualties were police officers. There were at least 300 people inside the mosque at the time of explosion, police said.
Prime Minister Shebaz Sharif called the blast a suicide attack.
Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said the attacker blew himself up while among the worshippers. “We’re getting that the terrorist was standing in the first row,” told a local television channel.
The mosque is inside a highly fortified compound that includes the headquarters of the provincial police force and a counter-terrorism department.
Peshawar’s police chief Ijaz Khan said the possibility of a suicide bombing could not be ruled out and traces of explosives were found inside the mosque.
“We cannot at the moment confirm there was a suicide attacker but we need to conduct more investigations,” Khan told reporters. “However, there is a possibility of there being a suicide bomber.”
He said a number of policemen were still stuck under the rubble and rescuers were trying to pull them out. “The smell of explosives has been detected but it is too early to say anything substantial.”
Mohammad Asim, a spokesman for the Lady Reading Hospital in Peshawar, said several of those injured were in a critical condition. “We have received dead bodies. It’s an emergency situation,” Asim told reporters.
Witnesses said part of the mosque roof and wall had collapsed and bloodied survivors limped from the wreckage, as dead bodies were ferried away in ambulances.
Peshawar deputy commissioner Shafiullah Khan said the rescue work is ongoing. “More bodies are being taken out. Currently our priority is to save people buried under the debris.”
No militant group has claimed responsibility for the attack. However, the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, known as the Pakistan Taliban, has carried out a number of suicide attacks in the past, targeting security personnel.
The group ended a ceasefire in November, and violence has been on the rise since.
Prime Minister Sharif condemned the bombing, and ordered authorities to ensure the best possible medical treatment to the victims. He also vowed “stern action” against those who were behind the attack.
“Terrorists want to create fear by targeting those who perform the duty of defending Pakistan,” Sharif said.
The premier paid tribute to the martyrs and promised that their sacrifices will not go in vain. “The entire nation is standing united against the menace of terrorism.”
Former prime minister Imran Khan also condemned the bombing, calling it a “terrorist suicide attack” in a Twitter posting. “My prayers and condolences go to victims families,” said the ex-premier. “It is imperative we improve our intelligence gathering & properly equip our police forces to combat the growing threat of terrorism.”
In March last year, the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for an attack on a Shia mosque that killed more than 60 worshipers.
According to the Islamabad-based Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies, militant violence spiked by 22 percent in 2022 compared with 2021.
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