‘We bowed and then an explosion’: Witnesses recall suicide blast that tore through Pakistan mosque

At least 31 people were killed and dozens more injured in an explosion at the Imam Bargah Qasr-e-Khadijatul Kubra mosque in the Tarlai area on the outskirts of Islamabad, with the death toll expected to rise.A worshipper, Zaheer Abbas, said he was inside the mosque offering prayers when he first heard the sound of gunfire, moments before the blast.“After that, we bowed and then prostrated, and then there was an explosion,” Abbas was quoted as saying by the BBC. “After which, there were injured people lying everywhere.”An emergency was declared as hospitals began receiving the injured, and authorities issued an appeal for blood donations. Abbas said he “lost his senses” in the immediate aftermath of the explosion before being rescued by emergency services and taken to the hospital, where he was later discharged.“Fortunately, I did not suffer much injury,” he added. Muhammad Kazim, 52, said that he arrived at the Imam Bargah Qasr-e-Khadijatul Kubra mosque shortly after 1:00 pm (local time) on Friday and was standing around seven or eight rows behind the imam.“During the first bow of the Namaz (prayer ritual), we heard gunfire,” he told AFP outside the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) hospital, where many of the injured were taken for treatment.The mosque’s caretaker, Syed Ashfaq, who lives next door, said he also heard gunfire and rushed towards the mosque to assist.“By the time I reached it there had already been an explosion,” he was quoted as saying by the BBC. “Bodies were lying everywhere, some were missing arms, some missing legs. We took the most injured in our own vehicle [to hospital].”

IS claims responsibility

The Islamic State (IS) group has claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing at the Imam Bargah Qasr-e-Khadijatul Kubra mosque. In a statement cited by SITE, which monitors jihadist organisations, IS said, “upon reaching the inner gate of the temple, the martyrdom-seeker detonated his explosive vest amidst the Shi’a congregation, inflicting a large number of deaths and injuries.”The blast marked the deadliest attack in Islamabad since 2008, when a suicide bomber targeted the Marriott Hotel in the capital, killing 63 people and injuring more than 250 others.More recently, in November, a suicide attack outside a court in Islamabad killed 12 people.The latest incident comes less than a week after the outlawed Baloch Liberation Army carried out a series of attacks in insurgency-hit Balochistan province, leaving around 50 people dead. Security forces responding to those assaults killed more than 200 “terrorists,” according to the military.Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack and expressed condolences to the families of those killed. He directed authorities to ensure the injured receive the best possible medical care and said the health minister would personally monitor the situation.“No one will be allowed to spread chaos and unrest in the country,” Sharif said in an official statement.