A suicide bombing left more than 50 people dead and injured close to 70 others in Pakistan during the birthday celebration of the prophet Muhammad on Friday.
According to ABC News, the incident occurred in Mastung, a district of Baluchistan province, during a procession from the mosque to celebrate the birth of the prophet Mawlid an-Nabi. At the time, around 500 people were in attendance when the blast went off at the beginning of the procession.
Shah Raz Khan, a local police officer, noted that although police shot and killed one suicide bomber, another suspect entered the mosque and set off his explosives. The mosque then collapsed while about 40 people were worshipping, a majority of them being police officers. Both suspects had unsuccessfully failed to attack a police station
“The Pakistani people deserve to gather and celebrate their faith without the fear of terror attacks like the ones today in Balochistan and KP. Our hearts go out to the victims and their families. We will continue to stand with Pakistan in the face of these vicious attacks,” tweeted Donald Blome, the U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan.
“The Pakistani people deserve to gather and celebrate their faith without the fear of terror attacks like the ones today in Balochistan and KP. Our hearts go out to the victims and their families. We will continue to stand with Pakistan in the face of these vicious attacks.” -DB
— U.S. Embassy Islamabad (@usembislamabad) September 29, 2023
At present, no one has claimed responsibility for the attack. Meanwhile, The Pakistani Taliban (TTP), the country’s main militant group, has denied any involvement in the attack and denounced it. The group has previously carried out attacks on police targets. In July, TTP took responsibility for an attack that killed at least 46 people during a political convention in Pakistan’s northern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
As reported by The Washington Post, Muhammad’s birthday is widely regarded as a national holiday in Pakistan. Tens of thousands of people were expected to attend rallies across the country, including senior political figures.
In addition to the blast at the mosque, a separate explosion went off at a mosque in Hangu, a district in the northern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, killing at least four people on Friday around the same time.
Photo Courtesy: ©Getty Images/Ghulam Hussain
Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for Christian Headlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.
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