At least 34 killed, dozens injured in Pakistan suicide bombing

A suicide bomber tore through a mosque in a police compound in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar on Monday, killing at least 34 people and wounding up to 150 worshipers, mostly police, officials said.

The bombing drew nationwide condemnation from opposition political parties and government officials. Ghulam Ali, the provincial governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, whose capital is Peshawar, said there were fears the death toll could rise further.

Most of the victims were police officers – the targeted mosque was in a sprawling complex, which also served as the city’s police headquarters. Police said there were 300 to 350 worshipers inside the mosque when the bomber detonated the explosives.

Sarbakaf Mohmand, a Pakistani Taliban commander, claimed responsibility for the attack on Twitter. The organization’s main spokesperson was not immediately available for comment.

Siddique Khan, a police official, said the death toll had risen to 34, and that the dead included Noor-ul-Amin, a prayer leader. Meanwhile, officials said at least 150 were injured.

The impact of the explosion collapsed the roof of the mosque, causing many injuries, according to Zafar Khan, a local police officer.

A survivor, police officer Meena Gul, 38, said she was inside the mosque when the bomb went off. He said he doesn’t know how he survived unharmed. He could hear cries and screams after the bomb exploded, Gul said.

Rescuers scrambled to remove mounds of debris from the grounds of the mosque and get worshipers still trapped in the rubble, police said. Khan said some of the injured were listed in critical condition in hospitals and there were fears that the death toll would rise.

PM promises ‘resolute action’

Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif in a statement condemned the bombing, and ordered the authorities to ensure the best medical care for the victims. He also vowed “stern action” against those behind the attack.

Imran Khan, the former prime minister ousted in a no-confidence vote last year, also condemned the bombing, calling it a “terrorist suicide attack” in a Twitter post.

“Prayers and condolences to the families of the victims,” ​​the former prime minister said. “It is vital that we improve our intelligence gathering and properly equip our police force to combat the growing threat of terrorism.”

Peshawar is the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province which borders Afghanistan and has been the site of frequent militant attacks.

The Pakistani Taliban is known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, and is a separate group but also a close ally of the Afghan Taliban, which seized power in neighboring Afghanistan in August 2021 when US and NATO forces were in the final stages. withdrew from the country after 20 years of war.

The TTP has waged an insurgency in Pakistan for the past 15 years, fighting the country’s stricter enforcement of Islamic law, freeing its members from government custody and reducing Pakistan’s military presence in the country’s former tribal areas.

Pakistan has witnessed a surge in militant attacks since November when the Pakistani Taliban ended a ceasefire with government forces.

The ceasefire comes as Pakistan is still grappling with unprecedented summer floods that have killed 1,739 people, destroyed more than two million homes, and at one point submerged up to a third of the country. Flood damage totaled more than $30 billion and authorities are now, months later, still struggling to organize tents, shelters and food for survivors.

Cash-strapped Pakistan is also facing one of its worst economic crises and is seeking a crucial installment of $1.1 billion from the International Monetary Fund.