Mourning in Pakistan: nearly 100 dead in the heinous suicide attack against a mosque
At least 95 people died and more than 200 were injured in one mosque attack from the headquarters of the peshawar policenorthwest of Pakistanwhere lifeguards continue this Tuesday, January 31 remove bodies among the rubble.
It is good to remember that the attack took place on Monday during evening prayers in this city, near the border areas with Afghanistan where Islamist militancy has grown.
The premier of the province, mohamed azam khan, confirmed that it was a suicide attack and reported a new toll of 95 dead and more than 221 injured; For his part, the local police chief, Muhammad Ijaz Khan, announced today that more than 90% of the victims were police officers.
“I was trapped under the rubble with several bodies on top of me for seven hours. I had lost all hope of surviving,” police officer Wajahat Ali, 23, told AFP at the local hospital.
Muhammad Asim Khan, a spokesman for Lady Reading Hospital in Peshawar, told AFP news agency that more bodies of victims arrived overnight. “This morning [martes] we are going to retire the last part of the collapsed roof to can recover more bodybut we don’t expect to find any survivorsBilal Ahmad Faizi, spokesman for the 1122 relief organization, told AFP.
At least 20 police officers killed have been buried after a prayer ceremonywith their coffins lined up and covered with pakistani flag. “Terrorists want to create fear by attacking those who are doing their duty to defend Pakistan,” Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said in a statement.
Shahid Ali, a policeman who survived the attack, said the blast happened seconds after the imam started his prayer: “I saw a black smoke rises to the sky. I ran to save myself (…) I can still hear the cries of people in my head. They were screaming for help,” he said.
No one has claimed responsibility for the heinous attack
Until now, No group claimed responsibility for the attack.which occurs in the middle of a deterioration of security in the country. Pakistan has faced a deteriorating security situation in recent months, particularly since the Taliban regained power in Afghanistan in August 2021.
After several years of relative calm, there have again been attacks by the Pakistani branch of the Taliban, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), IS-K and Baloch separatist groups.
Peshawar Police Headquarters is one of the most secure locations in the city, with intelligence and counter-terrorism offices within its premises. After the explosion, several provinces of the country have raised the level of alertwith the reinforcement of checkpoints and the dispatch of additional security forces, while in Islamabad, the capital, they installed snipers in buildings and city entrances.
The attack occurred on the day the President of United Arab EmiratesMohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, was supposed to travel to Islamabad, but the trip was canceled at the last minute due to bad weather.
Pakistan is also preparing to receive a delegation from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Tuesday to negotiate a crucial loan to avoid defaulting on its debt.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday condemned the attack as “disgusting”, while US Secretary of State Antony Blinken sent his condolences for the “horrible attack”.
Source: El Heraldo De Mexico
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