Peshawar:On Monday, a suicide bomber belonging to the Taliban detonated himself inside a mosque located in the high-security zone of Peshawar, Pakistan, during afternoon prayers. The powerful blast caused the roof to collapse on the worshippers, leading to the deaths of 61 people and injuries to over 150 others, mostly consisting of police personnel and members of the army and bomb disposal squad.
The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility for the attack, stating it was part of their revenge for the killing of one of their commanders in Afghanistan last year. The Capital City Police Officer of Peshawar stated that the bombing appeared to have been a result of a security lapse. The prayer leader of the mosque and several sub-inspectors were among those killed.
Some people are believed to still be trapped under the rubble of the collapsed portion of the mosque.
The authorities in charge of the rescue operation are currently focused on saving people who are trapped under the debris from the bombing. The bomber was able to enter the highly secure mosque within the police lines, despite four layers of security in place.
Officials are investigating how the bomber entered the fortified area. There is a possibility that the bomber had been residing inside the police lines, where family quarters are also located, prior to the attack. The headquarters of several important organizations, including the police and telecommunications department, are situated near the blast site.
The Prime Minister and Army Chief arrived in Peshawar to oversee the rescue and relief operation and visited a hospital to check on the health of the injured.
An emergency meeting was called, and the preliminary investigation report was presented. The police chief informed the Prime Minister that he was uncertain about the origin and entry of the bomber into the police lines.
The person in charge of the investigation of the attack, Shazad Kaukab, narrowly escaped the suicide bombing as he had just entered the mosque to offer prayers. The Prime Minister condemned the attack and stated that those responsible have no connection to Islam.
He pledged to adopt a comprehensive strategy to address the increasing lawlessness and violence in the region, and promised that the government will support the provinces in boosting their anti-terrorism efforts. The Foreign Minister and the Governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa also condemned the attack and urged people to donate blood for the wounded. An emergency has been declared at the local hospitals, and security has been heightened in major cities, including Islamabad, in the aftermath of the bombing.
Former Prime Minister Imran Khan and the caretaker Chief Minister Azam Khan have both condemned the terrorist attack in the mosque. Imran Khan expressed his condolences and stated that improvements in intelligence gathering and equipping the police are crucial in fighting terrorism.
The TTP (Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan), a group linked to al-Qaeda, has been held responsible for previous deadly attacks in Pakistan and recently called off a ceasefire with the government. Last year, a similar attack in a Shia mosque resulted in 63 deaths. In 2014, the TTP carried out the brutal attack on an Army Public School in Peshawar, killing 150 people, including 131 students.
