Suicide Bomber Kills At Least 40, Injures Hundreds at Pakistan Mosque
A suicide bomber attacked worshipers inside a mosque as the main prayer ended in a tribal area near the city of Jamrud, Pakistan on Friday, killing more than 40 and injuring hundreds.
The explosion happened in the Khyber tribal area during Islam’s holiest month of Ramadan, when Muslims around the world submit themselves to a month of fasting and prayer.
It is believed that the death toll will rise as the situation becomes clearer in Jamrud. Jamrud is west of Peshawar, the capital of Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas, which lies close to the Afghan border.
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According to reports, the bomber declared, “Allahu Akbar” or “God is the Greatest,” prior to detonating the explosives.
People present in the mosque during the attack have identified the bomber as a boy that looked around the age of 15 or 16.
Thus far, no group has come forward to claim responsibility for the fatal attack.
The deputy chief of the Khyber tribal district administration described the attack, stating that the bomber carried explosives on his foot and discharged them in the main prayer hall of the crowded mosque.
Some reports are saying that as many as 500 people were in the mosque. However, the numbers have not been verified.
Analysts are concerned of what the attack, which most people blame on the Taliban, might signal for the future of Pakistan in terms of stability.
Pakistan has seen a sharp increase in militant attacks over the past few months that many are linking to the death of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden.
Residents of the village are furious at the attacks, arguing that although various feuds go on between village elders and the local Taliban, most residents refrain from getting involved.
One village elder told The Washington Post, “This is a condemnable act on the poor and innocent worshipers in the holy month of fasting.”
