A mosque blast in Pakistan’s Peshawar city has left 46 people dead with more than over 100 people injured; Pakistan Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack.
On Monday, at least 46 people were killed and over others were injured when a suicide bomber blew himself up in a mosque at Peshawar’s Police Lines area.
According to officials, the blast occurred at around 1:40 PM when Zuhr prayers were being offered.
Reportedly, most of the casualties reported were policemen as the mosque is located in a compound that also serves as the headquarters for the city’s police.
Sarbakaf Mohammed, a commander for the Pakistan Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack on Twitter.
According to Umar Khalid Khurasani, brother of the slain of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) the suicide attack was part of the revenge attack for his brother who was killed in Afghanistan last August.
The blast took place in the part of the mosque where a large number of people had gathered for prayer, according to police official Sikandar Khan.
He added, “A portion of the building had collapsed and several people are believed to be under it.”
Muhammad Asim Khan, a spokesperson for the main hospital in Peshawar said “We have received dead bodies. It’s an emergency situation.”
It is unclear how the bomber managed to penetrate so deep into the zone without being noticed as the compound is located inside a high security zone which also consists of several government buildings.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has condemned the bombing and has ordered authorities to ensure the proper medical treatment for the victims in a statement.
He has also vowed “stern action” against those who were behind the attack.
Meanwhile, former prime minister Imran Khan condemned the bombing calling it a “terrorist suicide attack” in a Twitter post.
“My prayers & condolences go to victims families. It is imperative we improve our intelligence gathering & properly equip our police forces to combat the growing threat of terrorism.” he tweeted
Being the capital of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province which borders Afghanistan, Peshawar has been the scene of frequent militant attacks.
The Pakistan Taliban, also known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is a close ally of the Afghan Taliban of neighboring Afghanistan.
TTP has been fighting in Pakistan for the past 15 years for stricter enforcement of Islamic laws in the country.
They have also fought for the release of their members from government custody and for the reduction of the presence of the police in the country’s tribal regions.
Ever since their ceasefire ended with Pakistan’s government forces, there has been a large surge in militant attacks in the country.
The country is also undergoing one of the worst economic crises in its history as it is seeking an installment of $1.1 billion from the International Monetary Fund.