ISLAMABAD: At least three people were killed and as many as 10 wounded Wednesday in another attack on a Shia mosque in Pakistan.
Reports out of Rawalpindi, near Islamabad, indicated a suicide bomber opened fire outside Imambargah Qasr-e-Sakina — but failed to fully detonate his explosives. Security guards responded quickly, allowing most worshipers to stay safe inside the building, according to Geo News. The alleged attacker later committed suicide by shooting self in head.
“When I heard the first shot, I locked the door and told worshipers to hide in the hall. People rushed inside to the mosque and saved themselves,” witness Mohammad Yousaf told Geo News. The suspect reportedly threw a grenade outside Imambargah but could not activate his vest. Windows were blown out from the explosion.
This is the fourth such attack at a Shia mosque this year. Bomb blasts killed about 10 people at a Rawalpindi Imambargah on Jan. 10, about 60 in Shikarpur in Sindh on Jan. 30 and 20 at a Peshawar mosque last Friday. Dozens more were injured each time.
A spokesman for Jundullah, a group associated with the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, took responsibility for Wednesday’s attack. Fahad Marwat told Reuters it was retribution for armed forces’ continued attempts to get fighters out of North Waziristan on the border with Afghanistan.
A witness told the Express Tribune that two people with the suspected bomber ran inside the mosque during Maghrib prayers. One was arrested, and authorities were searching nearby Wednesday for other people involved.
DawnNews identified the casualties as Ghulam Hussain, Abdul Shakoor and Syed Sakhawat Hussain. Ghulam Hussain was a security guard standing outside the entrance of the congregation hall while Shakoor was shot dead by the attacker when he was performing ablution. Sakahawt (65) died of his wounds in the hospital.
Three people were critically wounded and being treated at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences hospital.
Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) Leader Asghar Askari criticised the government and alleged that it was colluding with militants.
“This is the fourth attack [on the Shia community]; this government is a murderous and terrorist government. We have been lifting bodies due to them.”
He alleged that the Punjab government has given support to these terrorists.
“Zarb-e-Azb should be spread to the whole of Punjab,” he said in an appeal to army chief General Raheel Sharif.
Hundreds of thousands of Shias and Sunnis will be united in a march to the capital.”
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