A bomb blast near a Shia mosque in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Peshawar has killed at least 30 people and injured 50 others.
The bomber struck in front of a mosque in the Kocha Risaldar area of Peshawar, killing at least two people, police said.
Ijaz Ahsan, a spokesman for the Peshawar branch of the Capital City Police (CCP), the provincial capital of Pakistan’s law enforcement, said the mosque had police security. Also on Friday, two police security guards were outside the main gate.
One of them was killed and another was seriously injured when two gunmen opened fire on security guards in front of the mosque gate after the start of Friday prayers. Within minutes of the shooting, an explosion ripped through the mosque.
Whether it was a suicide bombing or not has not been confirmed yet, Ijaz Ahsan said. No group or individual has claimed responsibility for the attack.
CCP Peshawar branch police officer Wahid Khan told reporters that several people died on the spot after the blast. Some also died after being taken to the nearby Lady Reading Hospital.
Wahid Khan and Asim Khan, media manager at Lady Reading Hospital, confirmed that 30 people had been killed and 50 injured so far.
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan immediately condemned the attack in a statement. He also instructed for the proper treatment of the injured.
News Room, March 04,2022