Pakistan's Shia Genocide - 22 Killed, At Least 60 Injured in Blast Outside Mosque in Peshawar

shiapost.com

At least 20 Shia worshipers were martyred and over 60 were injured after the Imamia Mosque and Imambargah located in the Hayatabad area was attacked by terrorists following Friday prayers.

The injured are being treated at the Hayatabad Medical Complex.

The attack comes two weeks after a suicide bombing at an imambargah ‘Karbala-e-Moa’ala’ in Shikarpur, Sindh martyred 65 Shia worshipers during Friday prayer on January 30. Dozens were also injured in the blast.

The attackers first hurled hand grenades before entering the imambargah where they opened fire while one detonated his suicide vest.

Heavy firing was also reported and residents said a thick cloud of smoke had engulfed the Hayatabad’s Phase V area. Residents said three explosions took place inside the Imamia Masjid Imambargah at the time of Friday prayers.

Inspector General Police (IGP) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Nasir Durrani told reporters the attackers entered the mosque by scaling a wall of an under construction building adjacent to the mosque. The IGP said the attackers arrived in a car which they had burnt.

IGP Durrani added that the first suicide bomber carried out the attack in the gallery of the mosque while the body of the second suicide bomber was recovered from inside the mosque. According to the IGP people offering their prayers stopped a third suicide bomber from detonating his vest.

 In-charge Bomb Disposal (BD) Unit Shafqat Malik said the attackers looked like Uzbeks.

Security and rescue operation teams were dispatched to the area, with forces cordoning off the site for further inspection.

Earlier, SSP Operations Peshawar, Dr. Mian Saeed said at least three suicide bombers attacked the imambargah. He confirmed that one suicide bomber detonated his device while another was injured and succumbed to his injuries, adding that his suicide-jacket had been diffused.

According to an eyewitness, the first explosion took place just minutes before Friday prayers were over. Following the first explosion five armed men in FC uniforms entered the imambargah and started to fire indiscriminately, the eye witness claimed.

The Pakistani army has been stepping up operations against militants following an attack on a military school that left 134 students dead last December.