Title: Twin Mosque Blasts in Pakistani Border Provinces Leave Dozens Dead and Injured
QUETTA/PESHAWAR, Pakistan – Suicide bombings rocked two mosques in Pakistan’s western provinces bordering Afghanistan on Friday, resulting in at least 57 deaths and several injuries. The attacks occurred as worshippers were marking the Prophet Mohammad’s birthday.
No group has claimed responsibility for the blasts yet, but one of the explosions caused significant damage and trapped dozens of individuals under the rubble.
The recent surge in militant attacks in Pakistan’s western provinces has cast a shadow over preparations for the upcoming general elections scheduled for January. Previous attacks primarily targeted security forces.
The first blast occurred in Mastung, Balochistan, claiming the lives of at least 52 people and leaving 58 others injured, with many in critical condition. The explosion happened when a suicide bomber detonated near a police vehicle parked near the Madina Mosque, where a religious procession was taking place.
In neighboring Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the second attack targeted a mosque and killed five individuals. The roof of the mosque collapsed during the attack, trapping an estimated 30 to 40 people under the debris. It was reported that worshippers managed to escape the mosque as one of the blasts occurred at the gate.
Both Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have witnessed numerous attacks from Islamist militants in recent years, with the goal of overthrowing the Pakistani government and imposing their own strict interpretation of Islamic law.
Eyewitnesses on the scene of the Mastung bombing described a horrific scene, with bodies dismembered and injured individuals crying out for help. The deputy commissioner of Hangu district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa stated that the casualties in the second attack were relatively low due to the location of the blast.
Prime Minister Anwar ul Haq Kakar, who was in Saudi Arabia for Umrah, strongly condemned the bombings and urged support for the victims. As caretaker prime minister, Kakar is overseeing the preparations for the January elections.
Militant attacks have intensified since 2022 when the ceasefire between the government and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an umbrella body of hardline Sunni Islamist groups, collapsed. The TTP has denied involvement in the recent blasts, including a police mosque bombing in Peshawar in January that killed 100 people. However, a faction within the TTP later claimed responsibility for that attack. The Islamic State militant group claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing at a religious political party’s gathering in July, claiming over 40 lives.
Authorities are investigating the twin mosque attacks, as the nation faces increasing security challenges against extremist elements.
Reporting by Saleem Ahmed in Quetta, Mushtaq Ali in Peshawar, and Ariba Shahid in Karachi; Writing by Shivam Patel and Gibran Peshimam; Editing by Miral Fahmy, Clarence Fernandez, Philippa Fletcher, and Kevin Liffey
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.