A bombing at a Shiite mosque on Islamabad’s outskirts kills at least 24 and wounds dozens

By MUNIR AHMED
Associated Press

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The death toll from a massive bombing that tore through a Shiite mosque on the outskirts of Islamabad during Friday prayers has risen to 24, a Pakistani official said. Nearly a hundred people were injured, government officials and rescue workers said.

Islamabad Deputy Commissioner Irfan Memon and police confirmed that the blast was an attack and said an investigation is underway. Memon wrote on X that the death toll had risen to 24, while hospital officials said some of the wounded were in critical condition.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.

ISLAMABAD (AP) — A massive bombing ripped through a Shiite mosque on the outskirts of Pakistan ‘s capital during Friday prayers, killing at least 15 worshippers and wounding nearly 50 others, rescue officials and witnesses said.

Islamabad police said the blast at the sprawling mosque was an attack and that an investigation was underway. Rescuers and witnesses said at least 15 people had died, and that some of the wounded were listed as being in critical condition.

Television footage and social media images showed police and residents transporting the injured to nearby hospitals.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the explosion, but suspicion is likely to fall on militants such as the Pakistani Taliban or the Islamic State group, which has been blamed for previous attacks on Shiite worshippers, a minority in the country. Militants often target security forces and civilians across Pakistan.

Pakistan has seen a surge in militant violence in recent months, largely blamed on Baloch separatist groups and the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, which is a separate group, but allied with Afghanistan’s Taliban. A regional affiliate of the Islamic State group has also been active in the country.

President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack in separate statements and extended condolences to the families of those killed. They instructed that all possible medical assistance be provided for those wounded.

“Targeting innocent civilians is a crime against humanity,” Zardari said. “The nation stands with the affected families in this difficult time.”

Sharif said he has ordered a full investigation. “Those who are responsible must be identified and punished,” he said.

Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also condemned the attack, and asked authorities to ensure the provision of best medical care to the wounded.

Friday’s attack occurred as Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, who is on an official two-day visit, was attending an event with Sharif. The event in Islamabad was several miles away from the site of the explosion.

In November, a suicide bomber had struck outside a court in Islamabad, killing 12 people.

The latest attack comes nearly a week after the outlawed Baloch Liberation Army carried out multiple attacks in insurgency-hit southwestern Balochistan province, killing about 50 people.

Security forces responding to those attacks also killed more than 200 “terrorists,” according to the military.