Injured victims of a suicide bombing are being brought to a hospital in the city of Peshawar, northwestern Pakistan on Monday, Jan. 30, 2023. AP PHOTO PESHAWAR, Pakistan: A suicide...
Injured victims of a suicide bombing are being brought to a hospital in the city of Peshawar, northwestern Pakistan on Monday, Jan. 30, 2023. AP PHOTO PESHAWAR, Pakistan: A suicide bomber struck inside a mosque within a police compound in the city of Peshawar in northwestern Pakistan on Monday, killing at least 28 people and wounding as many as 150 worshippers.
The bombing drew nationwide condemnation from opposition political parties and government officials. Ghulam Ali, governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, of which Peshawar is the capital, said the death toll could rise further. Most of the casualties were policemen and police officers, as the mosque is inside a sprawling compound that also serves as the city's police headquarters. Police said between 300 and 350 worshipers were inside the Islamic house of worship when the bomber detonated his explosives. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing, said Saddique Khan, a senior police official in Peshawar, but the Pakistani Taliban have been blamed in similar suicide attacks in the past. The compound is in a high-security zone in Peshawar, along with several government buildings. It was unclear how the bomber managed to penetrate so deep inside the zone unnoticed. The impact of the explosion collapsed the roof of the mosque, which caved in and injured many, according to Zafar Khan, a local police officer. A survivor, 38-year-old police officer Meena Gul, said he was inside the mosque when the bomb went off. He said he didn't know how he survived unhurt, adding that he could hear cries and screams after the bomb exploded. Rescuers scrambled trying to remove mounds of debris from the mosque grounds and get to worshippers still trapped under the rubble. At a nearby hospital, many of the wounded were listed in critical condition as the casualty toll rose. In a statement, Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif condemned the bombing, and ordered authorities to ensure the best possible medical treatment for the victims. He also vowed 'stern action' against those behind the attack. His predecessor Imran Khan also denounced the bombing, calling it a 'terrorist suicide attack' in a Twitter post. 'My prayers & condolences go to victims families,' the ex-premier said. 'It is imperative we improve our intelligence gathering & properly equip our police forces to combat the growing threat of terrorism.' Peshawar has been the scene of frequent militant attacks. The Pakistani Taliban, are known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP, are a close ally of the Afghan Taliban, who seized power in neighboring Afghanistan in August 2021 as United States and North Atlantic Treaty Organization troops were in the final stages of their pullout from the country after 20 years of war. The TTP has waged an insurgency in Pakistan over the past 15 years, fighting for stricter enforcement of Islamic laws in the South Asian country, the release of their members who are in government custody and a reduction of the Pakistani military presence in the country's former tribal regions. Islamabad has witnessed a surge in militant attacks since November, when the Pakistani Taliban ended their ceasefire with government forces. The truce ended as Pakistan was still contending with last summer's unprecedented flooding that killed 1,739 people, destroyed more than 2 million homes, and at one point submerged as much as one third of the country. The flood damages totaled more than $30 billion and authorities are still struggling to arrange tents, shelter and food for the survivors. Cash-strapped Pakistan is also facing an economic crisis and seeking a crucial installment of $1.1 billion from the International Monetary Fund — part of its $6-billion bailout package — to avoid default. Talks with the IMF on reviving the bailout have stalled in the past months. Sharif's government came to power last April after Khan was ousted in a no-confidence vote in parliament. Khan has since campaigned for early elections, claiming his ouster was illegal and part of a plot backed by the US. Washington and Sharif have dismissed Khan's claims.
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