Pakistan, explosion in Shiite mosque in Islamabad: at least 10 dead

Islamabad (Pakistan), Feb. 6 (LaPresse) – At least 10 people were killed and dozens injured following an attack that took place in a Shiite mosque on the outskirts of Islamabad, Pakistan, according to rescuers and witnesses. Islamabad police said the explosion in the large mosque was the result of an attack and that an investigation is underway. Television footage and images on social media show police and residents transporting the injured to nearby hospitals. Pakistan’s Interior Minister, Mohsin Naqvi, condemned the attack and called on authorities to ensure the best possible medical care for the injured, who were arriving at various hospitals across the city. There have been no claims of responsibility for the attack so far, but suspicion is likely to fall on militants such as the Pakistani Taliban or the Islamic State group, which has been accused of previous attacks against Shiite worshippers, a minority in the country. Militants frequently target security forces and civilians across Pakistan. In November, a suicide bomber blew himself up outside a court in Islamabad, killing 12 people. The latest attack comes almost a week after the Balochistan Liberation Army carried out several attacks in the insurgency-hit southwestern province, killing about 50 people. According to the army, security forces responding to those attacks also killed more than 200 “terrorists”.