40 including 17 children killed in mosque attack

RAWALPINDI: 40 people were killed Friday when suicide bombers stormed a packed mosque in Rawalpindi, firing on worshippers and detonating explosives, according to an ISPR statement.

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Militants targeted a mosque inside an officers’ residential colony in Parade Lane, Rawalpindi Saddar, during Friday prayers. According to the report, four terrorists carried out the attack; grenades were first hurled into the mosque, before two of the terrorists went inside and blew themselves up. The remaining terrorists then opened indiscriminate fire outside the mosque.

The dead include 17 children, 10 civilians and nine army personnel.

Witnesses reported at least five blasts, while Interior Minister Rehman Malik told a private television channel that the bombers disguised themselves as worshippers before launching their attack.

‘There were two suicide bombers and the roof of the mosque collapsed...they are taking revenge for the Pakistan army’s successful operations in Swat and Waziristan regions,’ Malik said.

Pakistan is in the grip of a fierce insurgency, with more than 2,570 people killed in attacks in the last two-and-a-half years.

Suicide bombs and attacks have intensified this year as the military pursues offensives against Taliban strongholds across the lawless northwest.

An AFP reporter at the scene said that security forces had set up a secure perimeter around the site, with helicopters circling overhead and security forces preparing to enter the area to flush out any remaining militants.

Abdul Waheed, an official at a nearby traffic police office, said their building was shaken by a huge blast at around noon.

‘We rushed out and saw that the blast was inside the mosque. A few moments later five more blasts were heard,’ Waheed told AFP.

‘According to our estimate, some people had attacked the mosque and a few of them were hiding in a different area of Parade Lane,’ Waheed said, referring to the area where the mosque is located.

Another eye witness, Ishtiaq, told a private television station that he was inside the mosque when he heard several blasts.

‘There were about 200 or 300 worshippers in the hall. Army officials mostly offer their Friday prayers in this mosque,’ he said.

In October, militants stormed the army headquarters in Rawalpindi, sparking a day-long siege which left 22 people dead.