A suicide bomber blew himself up inside a crowded mosque in a highly secured compound in Pakistan on Monday (January 30). As per media reports, the bombing has killed 83 people, 150 injured and 27 of them are police officials.
It is suggested that this attack was targeted at the police.
According to the police, the attacker passed through several barricades which were put together by the police officials to get into the “Red Zone” compound that houses police and counter-terrorism officials in the volatile northwestern city of Peshawar.
Media reports suggest that the mosque hall was packed with up to 400 worshippers at the time and many of the 150 wounded are in critical condition.
The blast occurred near the Police Lines area around 1:40 PM where the suicide bomber blew himself during the Zuhr (afternoon) prayers.
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Here are 5 key developments which have take place since the Pakistan blast:
- Khyber Pakhtunkhwa caretaker Chief Minister Azam Khan has announced a day of mourning for the victims of Peshawar mosque attack.
- Prime Minister Muhammah Shebaz Sharif visited the place where the attack took place and met the victims of the Peshawar blast.
- After the blast took place, the roof of the mosque collapsed. Peshawar capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Muhammad Ijaz Khan said that several jawans are still stuck under the rubble and rescuers are still trying to pull them out.
- A state of emergency has been declared in several health facilities across the provincial capital. All the injured as well as the bodies have been shifted to Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) in police vans, as per an official source.
- As per report, the Tehreek —I – Taliban (TTP) has claimed responsibility for the blast inside the Peshawar mosque.
Other than this, Pakistan is on high alert after the mosque blast. The checkpoints have been ramped up and extra security forces have been deployed. In the capital city, Islamabad, several snippers have also been deployed.
This is the second time such an incident has happened. Last year, on March 4, 2022, around 60 people were killed and around 196 other injured during a suicide bombing inside a Shia mosque in Peshawar’s Kocha Risaldar area.
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