{"id":3556,"date":"2023-01-30T18:42:33","date_gmt":"2023-01-30T18:42:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/londonpost.news\/?p=3556"},"modified":"2023-03-23T18:54:10","modified_gmt":"2023-03-23T18:54:10","slug":"suicide-bomber-breaks-into-high-security-facility-killing-47-at-pakistan-mosque","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/analysis\/defense\/terrorism\/suicide-bomber-breaks-into-high-security-facility-killing-47-at-pakistan-mosque\/2023\/01\/30\/admin1\/","title":{"rendered":"47 People dead in a suicide attack in the Mosque in Peshawar"},"content":{"rendered":"

PESHAWAR,<\/span> Pakistan<\/span> (Reuters)<\/span> –<\/span> A<\/span> suicide<\/span> bomber<\/span> blew<\/span> himself<\/span> up<\/span> inside<\/span> a<\/span> crowded<\/span> mosque<\/span> in<\/span> Pakistan’s<\/span> heavily<\/span> fortified<\/span> security<\/span> complex<\/span> on<\/span> Monday,<\/span> killing<\/span> 47<\/span> people.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Police<\/span> said<\/span> the<\/span> attackers<\/span> passed<\/span> through<\/span> several<\/span> barricades<\/span> manned<\/span> by<\/span> security<\/span> forces<\/span> and<\/span> entered<\/span> the<\/span> “Red<\/span> Zone”<\/span> complex,<\/span> home<\/span> to<\/span> police<\/span> and<\/span> counter-terrorism<\/span> offices<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> volatile<\/span> northwestern<\/span> city<\/span> of<\/span> Peshawar.<\/span>\u00a0
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>“It<\/span> was<\/span> a<\/span> suicide<\/span> bomber,”<\/span> Peshawar<\/span> police<\/span> chief<\/span> Ijaz<\/span> Khan<\/span> told<\/span> Reuters.<\/span> At<\/span> least<\/span> he<\/span> had<\/span> 47<\/span> killed<\/span> and<\/span> 176<\/span> wounded,<\/span> many<\/span> seriously.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>It<\/span> comes<\/span> a<\/span> day<\/span> before<\/span> the<\/span> International<\/span> Monetary<\/span> Fund<\/span> (IMF)<\/span> delegation<\/span> to<\/span> Islamabad<\/span> started<\/span> talks<\/span> on<\/span> financial<\/span> opening<\/span> to<\/span> the<\/span> South<\/span> Asian<\/span> economy,<\/span> which<\/span> is<\/span> suffering<\/span> from<\/span> a<\/span> balance<\/span> of<\/span> payments<\/span> crisis.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Officials<\/span> said<\/span> the<\/span> bomber<\/span> detonated<\/span> his<\/span> load<\/span> at<\/span> the<\/span> moment<\/span> hundreds<\/span> of<\/span> people<\/span> lined<\/span> up<\/span> to<\/span> say<\/span> their<\/span> prayers.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>An<\/span> inquiry<\/span> was<\/span> under<\/span> way<\/span> into<\/span> how<\/span> the<\/span> attacker<\/span> breached<\/span> such<\/span> an<\/span> elite<\/span> security<\/span> cordon<\/span> and<\/span> whether<\/span> there<\/span> was<\/span> any<\/span> inside<\/span> help.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Khan<\/span> said<\/span> the<\/span> mosque<\/span> hall<\/span> was<\/span> packed<\/span> with<\/span> up<\/span> to<\/span> 400<\/span> worshipers,<\/span> and<\/span> that<\/span> most<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> dead<\/span> were<\/span> police<\/span> officers.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>There<\/span> was<\/span> no<\/span> immediate<\/span> claim<\/span> of<\/span> responsibility<\/span> for<\/span> the<\/span> attack,<\/span> the<\/span> worst<\/span> in<\/span> Peshawar<\/span> since<\/span> March<\/span> 2022<\/span> when<\/span> an<\/span> Islamic<\/span> State<\/span> suicide<\/span> bombing<\/span> killed<\/span> at<\/span> least<\/span> 58<\/span> people<\/span> in<\/span> a<\/span> Shi’ite<\/span> Muslim<\/span> mosque<\/span> during<\/span> Friday<\/span> prayers.<\/span> Rescuers<\/span> search<\/span> for<\/span> survivors<\/span> after<\/span> a<\/span> suicide<\/span> attack<\/span> on<\/span> a<\/span> mosque<\/span> in<\/span> Peshawar.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Defense<\/span> Minister<\/span> Khawadja<\/span> Asif<\/span> told<\/span> Geo<\/span> TV<\/span> that<\/span> the<\/span> bomber<\/span> was<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> front<\/span> row<\/span> of<\/span> believers.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Police<\/span> officer<\/span> Mushtak<\/span> Khan,<\/span> who<\/span> suffered<\/span> a<\/span> head<\/span> injury,<\/span> told<\/span> reporters<\/span> from<\/span> his<\/span> hospital<\/span> bed,<\/span> “When<\/span> the<\/span> prayer<\/span> leader<\/span> said<\/span> ‘Allah<\/span> is<\/span> great,’<\/span> there<\/span> was<\/span> a<\/span> loud<\/span> noise.”<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>“The<\/span> bang<\/span> was<\/span> so<\/span> deafening<\/span> that<\/span> I<\/span> didn’t<\/span> know<\/span> what<\/span> had<\/span> happened.<\/span> He<\/span> threw<\/span> me<\/span> off<\/span> the<\/span> balcony.<\/span> The<\/span> walls<\/span> and<\/span> roof<\/span> collapsed.<\/span> Thank<\/span> God<\/span> he<\/span> saved<\/span> me.<\/span> \u201d<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> blast<\/span> collapsed<\/span> the<\/span> top<\/span> floor<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> mosque,<\/span> trapping<\/span> dozens<\/span> of<\/span> worshipers<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> rubble.<\/span> Live<\/span> television<\/span> footage<\/span> showed<\/span> rescuers<\/span> cutting<\/span> through<\/span> the<\/span> collapsed<\/span> roof<\/span> and<\/span> descending<\/span> to<\/span> tend<\/span> to<\/span> victims<\/span> trapped<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> rubble.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Governor<\/span> Haji<\/span> Ghuram<\/span> Ali<\/span> said:<\/span> “I<\/span> don’t<\/span> know<\/span> how<\/span> many<\/span> there<\/span> are.”<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>“The<\/span> scale<\/span> of<\/span> human<\/span> tragedy<\/span> is<\/span> unimaginable,”<\/span> Sharif<\/span> said.<\/span> “This<\/span> is<\/span> nothing<\/span> but<\/span> an<\/span> attack<\/span> on<\/span> Pakistan.<\/span> The<\/span> nation<\/span> is<\/span> overwhelmed<\/span> with<\/span> grief.<\/span> Terrorism<\/span> is<\/span> arguably<\/span> the<\/span> greatest<\/span> challenge<\/span> to<\/span> national<\/span> security.<\/span>\u201d<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Witnesses<\/span> described<\/span> the<\/span> chaotic<\/span> scene<\/span> as<\/span> police<\/span> and<\/span> rescuers<\/span> rushed<\/span> to<\/span> take<\/span> the<\/span> wounded<\/span> to<\/span> the<\/span> hospital.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Sharif,<\/span> who<\/span> called<\/span> on<\/span> party<\/span> members<\/span> to<\/span> donate<\/span> blood<\/span> to<\/span> hospitals,<\/span> said<\/span> those<\/span> who<\/span> attacked<\/span> Muslims<\/span> during<\/span> prayers<\/span> had<\/span> nothing<\/span> to<\/span> do<\/span> with<\/span> Islam.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>In<\/span> a<\/span> statement,<\/span> the<\/span> Washington<\/span> embassy<\/span> said,<\/span> “The<\/span> US<\/span> mission<\/span> to<\/span> Pakistan<\/span> extends<\/span> its<\/span> deepest<\/span> condolences<\/span> to<\/span> the<\/span> families<\/span> and<\/span> loved<\/span> ones<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> victims<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> horrific<\/span> attack.”<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Peshawar,<\/span> on<\/span> the<\/span> outskirts<\/span> of<\/span> Pakistan’s<\/span> tribal<\/span> quarters<\/span> on<\/span> the<\/span> border<\/span> with<\/span> Taliban-controlled<\/span> Afghanistan,<\/span> is<\/span> frequently<\/span> attacked<\/span> by<\/span> Islamic<\/span> extremist<\/span> groups,<\/span> including<\/span> Islamic<\/span> State<\/span> and<\/span> the<\/span> Pakistani<\/span> Taliban.<\/span><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) – A suicide bomber blew himself up inside a crowded mosque in Pakistan’s heavily fortified security complex on Monday, killing 47 people. Police said the attackers passed through several barricades manned by security forces and entered the “Red Zone” complex, home to police and counter-terrorism offices in the volatile northwestern city of […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3560,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":""},"categories":[252,2406,2418],"tags":[36,56,926,927,928],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/A.jpg","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3556"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3556"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3556\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3566,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3556\/revisions\/3566"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3560"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3556"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3556"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3556"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}