Blasts rip through two mosques in Pakistan, killing at least 57
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People gathering outside the Mastung hospital following the deadly suicide attack in Balochistan province, Pakistan.
PHOTO: REUTERS
QUETTA, Pakistan – A suicide bombing and another blast ripped through two mosques in Pakistan on Friday, killing at least 57 people and injuring more than 60 amid events marking the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad, police and health officials said.
No group has claimed responsibility for the blasts, one of which trapped dozens of people under rubble, the media said. The attacks come amid a surge in militant attacks, raising the stakes for security forces ahead of the general election set for January 2024.
The first blast, in the south-western province of Balochistan, killed 52 people, according to a district health official, Mr Abdul Rasheed.
Senior police official Munir Ahmed added: “The bomber detonated himself near a police vehicle near Madina Mosque, where people were gathering for a procession.”
The second blast, in neighbouring north-western Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, killed five people. It collapsed the mosque roof, broadcaster Geo News said, trapping about 30 to 40 people under the rubble.
Both provinces border Afghanistan and have suffered attacks in recent years by Islamist militants, who aim to overthrow Pakistan’s government and install their own brand of strict Islamic law.
The Balochistan blast is a rare attack on civilians as Islamist militants have largely targeted security forces in recent years.
Television images showed hundreds of people helping the injured into ambulances in its aftermath. At least 58 people were wounded, said the district health official, adding that the toll could rise as many of the injuries were serious.
Militant attacks have surged since 2022, when a ceasefire broke down between the government and the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an umbrella body of hardline Sunni Islamist groups.
The TTP, responsible for some of the bloodiest attacks in Pakistan since its formation in 2007, denied responsibility for Friday’s blasts.
In July, more than 40 people were killed in a suicide bombing in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at a religious political party’s gathering. REUTERS
