Pakistan: Over 60 People Killed in Bombing in Mosque
A Taliban suicide bomber blew himself up in a mosque packed with worshippers during afternoon prayers.
An explosion at a mosque in Pakistan’s Peshawar’s Police line area killed 60 to 70 people, including an imam, police personnel, health officials etc and injured over 150 others on 30th January 2023. Inside the same area, Peshawar’s police headquarters and other government offices are located. The deadly blast took place at around 1:40 pm when several personnel of the police, army and bomb disposal squad were offering afternoon prayers. Several people have been admitted to the hospital in a critical condition and the death toll from the attack is expected to rise. A video shot from inside the mosque showed debris on the ground. One side of the mosque collapsed due to the impact of the blast. Several reports stated that a suicide attacker was present inside the mosque in the front row during the prayers when he exploded himself.
Peshawar’s Police Chief, Mohammad Ijaz Khan said, “Police are still looking through the ruins of the mosque. Around 300-400 people from different offices gather for prayers at the mosque. Police are enquiring how the bomber entered the highly secured mosque where four layers of security were in place. They suspect that the bomber might have been residing there before the blast as there are family quarters too inside. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army chief General Asim Munir dashed to Peshawar to review the relief and rescue operation. Prime Minister Sharif strongly condemned the attack and said, “The attackers behind the incident have nothing to do with Islam. Terrorists want to create fear by targeting those who perform the duty of defending Pakistan.” He vowed that the sacrifices of the blast victims will not go in vain. The entire nation is standing united against the menace of terrorism." The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), known as the Pakistani Taliban, claimed responsibility for the suicide attack, saying it was part of a revenge attack for killed TTP commander Umar Khalid Khurasani who was killed in Afghanistan in August last year. The group has been blamed for several deadly attacks across Pakistan.
