Amman Today

publish date 2026-02-07 23:53:00

Thousands gathered on Saturday to participate in the funeral of the victims of a suicide bombing that targeted a Shiite mosque in Islamabad, killing 31 people and wounding 169.

Friday’s attack, which was claimed by the Islamic State, was the deadliest in the Pakistani capital since the Marriott Hotel bombing in 2008.

In an incomplete toll, city officials reported that 31 people were killed and 169 injured in the explosion that targeted the mosque located on the outskirts of the city.

Mourners gathered in various parts of Islamabad to participate in burying the dead.

Bushra Rahmani, whose brother was among the wounded during one of the funerals, said, “What happened yesterday left us in a state of extreme anger and deep sadness.”

For his part, Syed Jamil Hussain Shah (45 years old) said, “What happened was heinous behavior and contrary to all human values.”

Officials, including a senior police officer in northwestern Pakistan, reported on Saturday that some relatives of the perpetrator of the attack had been arrested.

The officer, whose name was not revealed, indicated that the attacker comes from Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province (west), which is witnessing violence. He explained that some of his relatives have been living in Nowshera on the way to the capital for several years.

A security official, who requested anonymity, told AFP that the attacker’s mother was arrested in a neighborhood in Islamabad, while his brother and others were arrested in various parts of the country.

Officials did not clarify the charges on which they were arrested nor the number of people arrested.

Corpses and clothes stained with blood

The explosion occurred during Friday prayers. A security source told AFP that the attacker blew himself up after he was arrested at the mosque gate.

One of the worshipers, Imran Mahmoud, told Agence France-Presse that an exchange of gunfire took place between the attacker and volunteer security personnel, before he blew himself up.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the bombing and pledged to find those responsible and bring them to justice.

Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar described the attack as a “heinous crime against humanity and a flagrant violation of Islamic principles.”

AFP reporters at a major hospital on Friday afternoon saw a number of people, including children, being treated.

Paramedics and other people transferred the bloodied victims from ambulances and other vehicles, while the cries of friends and relatives of the wounded rose.

Another team of AFP journalists saw armed security personnel outside the mosque, where large spots of blood appeared.

Video recordings spread on social media, which AFP could not immediately verify, showed bodies lying near the front gate of the mosque, while other bodies were scattered in the courtyard, and rubble and rubble covered the prayer hall.

Disturbances

The bombing comes at a time when Pakistani security forces are facing increasingly severe insurgency movements in the southern and northern regions bordering Afghanistan.

Shiite Muslims make up between 10 and 15 percent of Pakistan’s population, where the majority are Sunni Muslims, and have been targeted for attacks in the past.

The last major attack in Islamabad occurred in November outside a court. It was also a suicide bombing, killing 12 people and wounding dozens. It was the first attack of its kind targeting the capital in about three years.

Pakistani forces are also facing pressure in Balochistan, where attacks claimed by separatists killed 36 civilians and 22 security personnel.

These attacks led to a series of counter-operations, during which the authorities say security forces killed about 200 militants.

Friday’s attack was the deadliest in Islamabad since September 2008, when 60 people were killed by a suicide bombing that destroyed part of the Marriott Hotel.

Source: Monte Carlo International

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World News

Source 1 : https://www.i3lam-al3arab.com/الآلاف-يشاركون-في-تشييع-ضحايا-تفجير-مس/

Source 2 : ألدستور