Deadly Islamabad bombing sharpens focus on cross-border attacks in Pakistan
Al Jazeera
Analysts warn mosque attack in Pakistan could inflame sectarian fault lines in an already volatile security landscape.
Lahore, Pakistan – As funerals were held on Saturday for more than 30 people killed in a suicide bombing at a mosque in Islamabad, analysts warned the attack could be part of a broader attempt to inflame sectarian tensions in the country.
A suicide bomber struck the Khadija Tul Kubra Mosque, a Shia place of worship, in the Tarlai Kalan area of southeastern Islamabad during Friday prayers.
In a statement, the Islamabad administration said 169 people were transferred to hospitals after rescue teams reached the site.
Hours later, a splinter faction of the ISIL (ISIS) group in Pakistan claimed responsibility on its Telegram channel, releasing an image it said showed the attacker holding a gun, his face covered and eyes blurred.
Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said mosque security guards tried to intercept the suspect, who opened fire before detonating explosives among worshippers. He alleged the attacker had been travelling to and from Afghanistan.
Hezbollah says its attack is in response to the killing of Iran’s Khamenei and ‘in defence of Lebanon and its people’.
President Masoud Pezeshkian condemns killing of Iran’s supreme leader as ‘a great crime’, according to his office.
Iran confirms targeting US bases across the Middle East.