
Suicide Bomber Kills 60, Injures 150 In Peshawar
Not less than 60 persons were killed on Monday when a suicide bomber detonated bomb inside mosque in Peshawar, Pakistan.
Between 300 and 400 estimated persons mostly policemen were praying inside the mosque when the bomb blast occured.
The mosque is within the tightly-guarded police headquarters area and is in one of the most tightly controlled areas of the city, which included the police headquarters, intelligence and counter-terrorism bureaus.
Reports indicated that a bomber had blown himself up in the mosque on Monday, killing over 60 persons and leaving 150 people injured.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said “terrorists want to create fear by targeting those who perform the duty of defending Pakistan”.
Peshawar police chief Muhammad Ijaz Khan told local media that between 300 and 400 police officials were in the area at the time.
A hospital spokesman reportedly told BBC that 157 people were injured in the bomb attack.
Videos and photographs from the scenes after the blast showed people coming out of the rubble on their own and looking for rescue services.
Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) spokesperson, Mohammad Asim reportedly confirmed some number of casualties, adding that a number of injured persons were in critical condition.
Peshawar Commissioner Riaz Mehsood said a rescue operation was underway inside the mosque as a number of people were buried under the rubble.
Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby said: “I am deeply shocked and saddened to hear of the terror attack on a mosque in Peshawar today.
“These horrendous attacks supposedly in the name of religion are always an affront to the nature of God, and we stand in solidarity with those who condemn such mindless violence.
“I pray fervently for resolution and justice, for those who are injured, traumatised and grieving, and for the continuing commitment to peace and reconciliation between all communities in Pakistan”.