Death Toll Hits 87 In Pakistan Mosque Bomb Attack
The death toll has risen to at least 87 people after a Mosque suicide bombing which targeted policemen in the Pakistan province of Peshawar.
The Mosque is within a high-security police headquarters area and a probe is under way into how the bomber got in.
Pakistan’s prime minister and other leaders have condemned the attack – one of the worst in the country in recent years.
Prime minister Shehbaz Sharif who declared a national day of mourning, accused terrorists of seeking to create fear by targeting those who perform the duty of defending Pakistan
The Pakistani Taliban has denied involvement after an initial claim by one of its commanders.
On Tuesday, rescuers were still scrambling to retrieve worshipers buried in the rubble, with a spokesman telling the BBC the operation would continue for another three hours.
A hospital spokesman confirmed that more than 100 remained wounded.
meanwhile, funerals have been carried out for more than 20 police officers, their coffins draped with the Pakistan flag.
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A hospital spokesman confirmed that more than 100 remained wounded, some of them critical. Meanwhile, funerals have been carried out for more than 20 police officers, their coffins draped with the Pakistan flag. Most of the dead were members of the security forces.
The bodies of the dead have started to be returned to their families.
Between 300 and 400 police officers had been in the area at the time, Peshawar police chief Muhammad Ijaz Khan earlier told local media.
The mosque is in one of the most heavily controlled areas of the city, which includes police headquarters and intelligence and counter-terrorism bureaus. On Tuesday, local media lined the road outside the gates – the closest that security would allow.
Mr Sharif said those behind the attack had “nothing to do with Islam”. He added: “The entire nation is standing united against the menace of terrorism.”
The Pakistan Taliban ended a ceasefire in November, and violence has been on the rise in the country since. It is separate to the Afghan Taliban but shares the same hard-line Islamist ideology.
Militant activity has risen in Pakistan since the Taliban agreed a peace deal with the US and then seized power in Afghanistan in 2021.
