Blast In Northwestern Pakistan Mosque, 4 Injured

A local Islamist leader and three others, including children, were injured after a blast ripped through a mosque in Pakistan’s Waziristan region on Friday. Officials believe the blast targeted Abdullah Nadeem, a local leader of the Jamiat Ulema Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) political party in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in the northwestern part of the country. Nadeem has been hospitalised, and two children were also among the injured.

The blast at the Maulana Abdul Aziz Mosque took place during Friday prayers. It was not immediately clear who was responsible for the explosion that took place in Pakistan’s border region with Afghanistan. Terrorists targeted mosques in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the past as well. In February, a suicide bomber killed six worshippers during Friday prayers at an Islamic seminary in northwestern Pakistan, known as a historic training ground for the Afghan Taliban.

This blast comes just days after Balochistan separatist militants hijacked a train and held passengers hostage in a day-long bloody standoff with security forces. Balochistan also borders Afghanistan, and the Pakistan government has alleged Kabul’s complicity in the attack. Pakistan vowed to crack down on growing militancy and has said the militants are finding safe haven in neighbouring Afghanistan, a charge the ruling Afghan Taliban deny.

Attacks have been escalating in Pakistan’s border regions with Afghanistan in recent months. A suicide bomber killed six worshippers during Friday prayers at an Islamic seminary in northwestern Pakistan, known as a historic training ground for the Afghan Taliban.