AFP Image, Body being carried from the blast scene
Breaking news today: Media outlets are reporting that 48 people were killed when a suicide bomber blew himself up in a mosque near the town of Jamrud in the Khyber agency in northwest Pakistan. Tariq Hayat, the top administration official in Khyber, told the AFP, “Forty-eight bodies have been pulled out of the debris and many others may still be trapped under the rubble…More than 70 people were wounded. There may be many more dead…The bomber was present inside the mosque and blew himself up when Friday prayers began.”
BBC News’ Barbara Plett reported that the mosque is near a tribal police checkpoint, “and was crowded with about 250 worshipers, including many police.” The news agency added, “Pakistan’s security officials have recently concentrated forces in the Khyber region, and especially the Jamrud area, to fight militants attacking convoys carrying supplies for the NATO forces in Afghanistan.”
The blast followed a string of attacks that have recently occurred in the country. On Monday, a police officer was killed in a suicide bombing at the gate of a police station in Islamabad, and yesterday, a suicide blast killed 11 people at a restaurant in the tribal region. CNN reported, “That attack was most likely part of the ongoing fighting between militants loyal to Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud and members of the Turkistan tribe.”
For a suicide bombing to occur at all is horrific, but to strike a mosque while people are praying is truly atrocious. GEO Television cited residents of the Jamrud area, who said “militants had earlier threatened to blow up the police post next to the mosque,” although there had been no immediate claim of responsibility after today’s attack. Hayat told GEO, “It’s surprising, those who claim that they are doing jihad and then carry out suicide attacks inside mosques during Friday prayers…They are infidels. They are enemies of Pakistan. They are enemies of Islam.” Al Jazeera’s correspondent Zeina Khodr, however, pointed to something different when she noted, “But the political agents are saying that, and I quote, ‘no Muslim could carry out such a crime suggesting that foreign hands were responsible’”
CHUP will post more details on this story as they come in.
Oh my God, this is awful. Thanks for being so efficient in relaying the news, I had no idea this happened, I just saw your post on Twitter.
It’s disgusting to see how someone would do this in the middle of Friday prayers. Obama is about to announce his new strategies for Afghanistan & Pakistan and I’m sure this incident while affect his harsh strategy towards Pakisten even. Not sure what to expect so I guess we will just have to wait and see …
[...] url: “http://teabreak.pk/suicide-bombing-at-mosque-kills-48-42/18035/” }); Read more at: CHUP! – Changing Up Pakistan administration official, barbara plett, cnn, convoys, islamabad, jamrud, khyber agency, media [...]
I agree OUH, incidents like these fuel claims by the U.S. government that Pakistan cannot handle its own militancy problem. His speech is only minutes away – so I’m a bit anxious to hear what he has to say, since Pakistan will obviously be included in his Afghanistan strategy.
I cannot believe someone would carry out such an atrocious act. This is really sickening. It does seem as if foreign agents may be involved.
Eman, you sound like the Foreign Office spokesman. Quick to blame the “foreign elements”
You may be right though…you never know…they should jsut get rid of all the foreigners
Kalsoom, did Zeina say which political agents were placing the blame on foreign agents? Any official statement from the govt?
I have to wonder, what happens to this person when they meet God/St Peter/whoever. The truth of what they have done must hit them. Perhaps that is what hell is.
Horrible…!!
There seems to be no end to this madness and there are multiple sources of terrorism.. there hasnt been a week in the past few months that didnt have any major incidents..since Benazirs assasination!
i am praying for the souls of those who lost lives to rest in peace…
ughh unbelievable, fkin Pakistan
[...] – Changing Up Pakistan is reporting that ” 48 people were killed (today) when a suicide bomber blew himself up in a mosque near [...]
Really good article written by Ayaz Amir on March 27th. It addresses the issue of what the taliban agenda is and how it spreads through the masses.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/editorial_detail.asp?id=169300
Interesting point made in the article:
“The Taliban have empowered the poor, the dispossessed, and the out-of-work in both Swat and Waziristan. Those in the service of the Taliban are better paid and have a better sense of their worth, and go about with a grander swagger, than those in the service of the Pakistani state. If they get killed in combat, or as a result of a strike by a CIA drone, their families are looked after. So if the shirtless and the out-of-work in those embattled regions, where life is tough and choices are limited, choose to serve under the banner of the Taliban, would management gurus dub it an irrational choice?”
What has the world come to when worshipers must offer their prayers in fear? I myself am guilty of this weekly anxiety, and nowadays it is common phenomena for many of us. Sad really, when a mosque (as like any other holy place) is supposed to be a sanctuary where one should feel safe from harm, mental or physical.
Ahmed Rashid hit the nail on the head when he said, in his book ‘Descent into Chaos’, that we are all now getting used to the idea of “sudden death”.
This is not the Pakistan I grew up in. I want my old Pakistan back!
Faisal-
Thanks for the link.
Fahd-
I agree. But how do we turn our outrage into decisive political action to get our old Pakistan back? I wish we could come together for a march against these Taliban militants, like we did during the Long March.
O-
Dawn’s Khyber Agency correspondent Ibrahim Shinwari said that TTP militants had warned of a blast of this nature, adding that a shoot-out between militants and security forces at the nearby checkpost one month ago left one militant dead and two injured, and they were thus seeking revenge. Following that encounter, a TTP spokesman in Khyber Agency had said that there would be consequences if Nato supplies are not suspended and if FC personnel are not disbanded.
I’m just working on my coverage of the Obama speech, but I’ll go back and look more thoroughly for more details on reactions to today’s blast.
K: Thanks! I will check back and take a look at CHUP later in the day then.
F: Thats a very interesting article and a great point made by the writer. Seems like this is what Obama is trying to address by focusing on job creation and economic growth in the border region.
It definitely takes courage to come out on the streets. The masses will only do it when they see someone with influence take on the powers that be. For the long march they followed Chief Justice after he took on Musharruf.
So, in order to get out on the street we need someone with real, visible power to say enough is enough and to have a peaceful protest.
This is where the Imran Khans, Aitzaz Ahsans, even Nawaz Sharifs can really show their commitment to fighting against Pakistan’s obstacles. Bring all of your support out on the street and just have a peaceful demonstration aimed at these people committing these acts– just to say that we as Pakistani’s are not apathetic to whats going on.
It happened in Algeria after a lot of Al-Qaeda attacks– at some point 100,000 ppl came out on the streets of Algiers to say enough is enough.
It will happen one day in Pakistan– the question is will it be too late.
‘no Muslim could carry out such a crime ….’ Obviously you don’t know the history of Islam. Muslims have been killing Muslims since the time of your prophet. Ever heard of the Riddah wars? The first and second Fitna wars? Even your dear prophet attacked Muslims in case you don’t know. At least that is what the hadith says. When asked about this, Mohammad had a ‘revelation’ allowing him to attack mosques and kill Muslims (Quran 9:107, 110 – “They built a Masjid out of mischief and to promote disbelief…”). Oh course, Muslims must always blame others foor their troubles.
I pity the people of Pakistan, but they are Muslims and we know what the Quran says about your purpose in life (9:111). Some Muslims are just doing what they think Allah wants.
Unfortunately J. kactus makes a valid point in that sick individuals can use hadith to justify all sorts of terrible things. We don’t have to look too far to see thousands of examples. But it’s not just Islam, every religion has the potential to promote violence.