At least 90 people were killed and 200 wounded in a suicide bombing at a mosque in Peshawar, north-western Pakistan, after a suicide bomber attacked during afternoon prayers in the mosque.
Reports say that the main hall of the mosque and the roof of the building collapsed as a result of the explosion, trapping people underneath the rubble, in the deadliest attack since last March when a suicide bombing killed 64 people at a mosque in the city.
Police say that more than 300 worshippers were at the mosque during the attack and that about 100 of the injured are still receiving medical care, while the rest have been discharged.
What’s most surprising in the situation is the fact that the mosque is inside a highly fortified compound where the headquarters of the provincial police force and a counter-terrorism department are housed and where 300 to 400 police personnel were present at the time of the bombing, so it’s unclear how the attacker was able to gain access inside.
The Islamist alliance of several regional terrorist groups that goes under the name Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan – also known as Pakistani Taliban although the Afghan Taliban deny any connection with this movement – has reportedly claimed responsibility for the attack.
The US, UK, and Canadian governments have designated Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan as a terrorist group. The group seeks to extend its influence on a number of regions of Pakistan and India, specifically opposing the governments of these states.
Back in November, Tehrik-i Taliban Pakistan ordered its fighters to carry out attacks across the country, ending the ceasefire agreed upon with the Pakistani government emboldened by the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan, as analysts believe.
Many attacks in the increased wave of violence in the past year were claimed by the group which particularly targeted police and security forces in border areas – where Pakistani Taliban increased activity- but also in the capital Islamabad- largely been spared in the low-level attacks conducted elsewhere in the country -where suicide bombing in December killed one police officer.
