Daily Times

A suicide bomber targeted a mosque in Quetta during evening prayers on Friday, killing at least 15 people and wounding 20 others, officials said.

The blast took place in Satellite Town of Quetta. Debris and shattered glass littered the scene after the blast.

Fida Mohammad, who was attending evening prayers, said about 60 people were present at the time of the attack on the mosque, which is located in a densely populated area. The explosion ripped through the front row of worshippers seconds after the prayer began, he said. “It was a powerful blast, people were screaming and running here and there – many people were injured because of the stampede,” he said.

Mohammad Waseem, a doctor at Quetta’s Sandeman hospital, confirmed that 15 victims had died.

The police chief of Balochistan province, Mohsin Hassan Butt, also confirmed the death toll. “Twenty people are still taking medical treatment, the condition of three to four is critical,” he said. A police officer, DSP Amanullah, was among the dead, he added.

Police said a month ago, DSP Amanullah’s son had been martyred in a firing incident. Amanullah was deployed at the Police Training College located on Saryab Road.

Provincial home minister Zia Ullah Langu told reporters that investigations by bomb disposal officers indicated that a suicide bomber carried out the attack.

A spokesman for the provincial government, Liaqat Shahwani, confirmed a suicide bomber was to blame.

The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, according to the SITE intelligence group.

Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Bajwa said that Pakistan Army will give complete assistance to police and the civil administration, DG ISPR Major General Asif Ghafoor said in a tweet. He conveyed the COAS’ message and quoted him as saying: “Those who targeted innocents in a mosque can never be true Muslims.”

The army’s spokesman said that the Frontier Corps personnel reached the site of the blast. “A joint search operation with police is in progress, injured being evacuated to hospitals,” he said. Prime Minister Imran Khan condemned the attack and regretted the loss of lives, while directing for the best possible treatment to be given to the injured. He also sought a report of the incident.

Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan, while condemning the incident, said that those who targeted worshippers have no religion or tribal affiliation. “They are only terrorists and deserve the harshest punishment,” he said, adding that state enemies are once again trying to create a law and order situation in Balochistan.

The chief minister said, however, that they will not let anyone destroy the hard-earned peace that had been achieved through the sacrifices of the armed forces and citizens. Balochistan Home Minister Langove also condemned the blast, saying that ‘terrorists are scared of Pakistan’s development’. “Internal and external enemies are making failed efforts to create panic and unrest in the country,” he said in a statement.

Langove vowed that ‘defeated terrorists will never be allowed to succeed’. He expressed solidarity with the victims and said that no negligence will be tolerated in the medical treatment of the injured.

While talking to media, the provincial home minister said terrorists had considered the mosque to be an ‘easy target’. He added that the government is taking stock of the security arrangements after the bombing.

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari also condemned the blast. He expressed condolences at the loss of lives and demanded that the ‘planners of terrorism’ in the province be brought to justice.

The incident comes three days after a motorcycle parked close to a Frontier Corps (FC) vehicle blew up in Quetta, leaving two people dead and another 14 injured. That blast, claimed by Hizbul Ahrar – an offshoot of the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), had come after a respite of some months in what has traditionally been a violence-prone area. In November, at least two FC personnel were martyred and five others injured in an explosion in Quetta’s Kuchlak area. The security personnel were on routine patrol in the area when an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated.