Mar 4, 2022 - World

Suicide bomber kills dozens at Shiite mosque in Pakistan

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People carry an injured person to an abulance after a suicide bomber blew himself up during weekly Friday prayers at a Shia mosque in northwestern Pakistan — People carry an injured person to an ambulance after a suicide bomber attacked a mosque during Friday prayers in northwestern Pakistan. Photo: Hussain Ali/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

A suicide bomber who targeted a Shiite mosque in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar on Friday killed more than 55 people and injured at least 194, AP reports, citing hospital officials.

The big picture: The attack occurred as worshippers gathered for Friday prayers at Kucha Risaldar Mosque, one of the oldest mosques in the city.

No group has claimed responsibility. ISIS and Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, also known as the Pakistani Taliban, have carried out similar attacks in the area, which is near Pakistan's border with Afghanistan.

The attack began when two men on motorcycles opened fire on police outside the mosque. One of the attackers then entered the mosque and detonated a bomb, per Reuters.

"First I heard five to six gunshots and then I saw the suicide bomber enter the mosque and a huge explosion occurred," a man who lives next to the mosque told Al Jazeera. "The doors of my house opened with a bang and I fell down on the ground. When I entered the mosque, there was smoke and dust and people were lying in blood."
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan condemned the attack.

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Suicide bomber kills dozens at Shiite mosque in Pakistan

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