Suicide bombing at Pakistan mosque targets local leader, injures four including children
A suicide bombing struck a mosque in Pakistan's South Waziristan, during Friday prayers, leaving several injured.
FollowA powerful explosion at the Maulana Abdul Aziz Mosque in Pakistan’s South Waziristan left several injured, including two children. Local reports confirmed that Nadeem, a prominent local leader, has been hospitalized in critical condition. Authorities have yet to determine who was behind the attack, which occurred in Pakistan’s volatile border region with Afghanistan.
According to reports, the 4 injured in the suicide bombing at the mosque included children too. This incident comes on the heels of a series of violent attacks across Pakistan.
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Just a month ago, a suicide bombing at the Darul Uloom Haqqania seminary in Nowshera claimed the lives of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Sami (JUI-S) leader Maulana Hamidul Haq Haqqani and five others, injuring 15. The seminary has long been regarded as a key training ground for the Afghan Taliban.
According to local police, the bomber detonated explosives inside the mosque when worshippers had gathered for prayers, causing widespread panic and devastation. Rescue teams and security forces rushed to the scene, while authorities launched an investigation into the perpetrators behind the attack.
The suicide bombing on Friday marks the second attack on a mosque in Pakistan within two weeks, raising concerns over the country’s deteriorating security situation. Previous suicide bombing on Feb 28, Friday inside a mosque in Nowshera district of northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan left at least 5 dead.
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Pakistan, a few days ago, witnessed one of its most brazen militant attacks in years. On March 10, armed Baloch separatists - Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) - stormed the train near Mach, held passengers hostage, and engaged in a bloody standoff with security forces. At least 21 people, including passengers and railway personnel, were killed before security forces regained control.
The Pakistan government blamed Afghanistan for harboring militants responsible for the surge in attacks, an allegation firmly denied by the ruling Afghan Taliban. Pakistan's foreign office also claimed that India had a hand in the Jaffar Express attack. India's Ministry of External Affairs official spokesperson Rahdnir Jaiswal stated, "We strongly reject the baseless allegations made by Pakistan. The whole world knows where the epicenter of global terrorism lies. Pakistan should look inwards instead of pointing fingers and shifting the blame for its own internal problems and failures on to others."
The Jaffar Express incident is part of a larger pattern of escalating violence. In January, a deadly blast at a Quetta election rally killed over 26 people, while a police station in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was targeted in a suicide bombing, killing multiple officers. Just weeks ago, a high-profile assassination attempt on former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s ally in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa underscored the growing insecurity.
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