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Explosion at Pakistan mosque: Police targeted in attack that killed 59

People push stretchers carrying the wounded after a mosque exploded inside police headquarters near a hospital in Peshawar on January 30.
photograph: AFP/Zafar Iqbal

Carrie Davis of Peshawar, Laura Gozzi and Mar Crucino of London

At least 59 people were killed when a bomb aimed at police officers praying at a mosque in Peshawar, Pakistan.

The mosque is located within the heavily guarded police headquarters area.

Prime Minister Shebaz Sharif said, “Terrorists want to create fear by targeting those who carry out missions to defend Pakistan.”

No group has said it carried out the attack, but it is said to have ties to the Pakistani Taliban.

The group ended a ceasefire in November, and violence has increased since then.

In December, it targeted police stations in Peshawar and other places in the northwestern part of the country, killing 33 militants.

Early unconfirmed reports said a bomber blew himself up at a mosque on Monday.

A hospital spokesman told the BBC that the death toll had risen to 59 with 157 injured.

Peshawar Police Chief Muhammad Ijaz Khan told local media that there were between 300 and 400 police officers in the area at the time.

The mosque is located in one of the city’s most tightly controlled areas, including police headquarters, intelligence services, and counter-terrorism services.

In a statement, Sharif said those behind the attack “have nothing to do with Islam.” He added that “the whole country is united in confronting the threat of terrorism.”

The explosion occurred at around 1:30 pm local time during afternoon prayers in the northwestern city near the border with Afghanistan.

A video circulating on social media and reviewed by the BBC showed half of the wall caved in. The mosque was covered in bricks and debris as people climbed over the rubble to escape.

Peshawar deputy chief Shafiullah Khan said rescue operations were continuing inside the mosque and that “more bodies were being taken out”.

“Right now our priority is to save those buried under the rubble,” Khan added.

Hours after the explosion, BBC News sighted a facility full of injured people, many still wearing police uniforms.

Some were covered in burn cream and their skin was red from explosion burns. Some have broken bones as debris fell on them.

One man said he was still deaf from the explosion. Another man said he was rescued after being trapped under rubble for nearly an hour.

The prime minister will make an emergency visit to Peshawar where he will be briefed by local officials and visit those injured in the blast.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the attack, a spokeswoman said:

The attack on the mosque comes at the beginning of a crucial week for Pakistani diplomacy.

United Arab Emirates President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan was due to visit Islamabad on Monday, but the trip was canceled at the last minute due to bad weather.

On Tuesday, a delegation from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is scheduled to visit Pakistan as part of the process of unlocking bailout loans to prevent the country from defaulting.

Last March, Peshawar was targeted by another bombing that killed dozens at a Shiite mosque.

In the capital, Islamabad police said they were on high alert and increased security at all entrances and exits to the city.

-BBC

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/483384/pakistan-mosque-blast-police-targeted-in-attack-that-kills-59 Explosion at Pakistan mosque: Police targeted in attack that killed 59

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