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Saturday, July 27, 2013Suicide bombs kill 41 near Shia mosques
* Dozens wounded as bombers on motorcycles blow themselves up within a minute of each other outside two mosques in Parachinar
PESHAWAR: Twin suicide attacks rocked a busy marketplace in northwest Pakistan on Friday killing at least 41 people and injuring more than 150 others, officials said, in the deadliest attack to hit the country during the holy month of Ramazan.
Suicide bombers on motorcycles blew themselves up within a minute of each other outside imambargahs in Parachinar, killing at least 41 people, officials said. The explosions at the bazaar in Parachinar, the main town of Kurram tribal district on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, sent handcarts flying as shoppers bought food to open their fasts at sunset. Doctors at the main public hospital in the town said 41 people were killed, and 20 critically wounded among the more than 150 injured. “We can confirm the death of 41 people in the twin blasts. More than 150 others have been injured in the attack,” doctor Sabir Hussein, head of the hospital, told AFP.
“We have sent 20 critically wounded people to major hospitals in Peshawar and Kohat to save their lives,” he added. Parachinar administration officials said both blasts were carried out by suicide bombers. “There were two blasts in the main bazaar of Parachinar. These were carried out by two suicide bombers who walked into the crowded market,” Riaz Mehsud, a senior administration official, told AFP. Mehsud said the market was packed with people and that handcarts were sent flying after the blasts, which also damaged up to 15 shops and two cars.
“We found many body parts, including parts of the suicide bombers. There was blood and human flesh at the blasts site,” he said. The area where the bombers struck is mainly inhabited by Shias but officials said they could not immediately identify the victims. “Many bodies can’t be identified because they have been mutilated very badly,” Salahuddin, a health technician at the hospital, told AFP. He said lists of the dead and injured were being drafted and that the number of casualties could rise.
“I fear that the number of the dead and wounded people from this attack may rise,” Salahuddin said. Kurram is frequently the scene of sectarian violence. The country is battling a Taliban-led domestic insurgency that has killed thousands of civilians and security personnel since 2007. Troops have been fighting for years against homegrown insurgents in the tribal belt, which Washington considers the main hub of Taliban and al Qaeda militants plotting attacks on the West and in Afghanistan.
Sectarian violence has been on the rise in the nuclear-armed country, where hardline militant groups have been relentlessly attacking Shias. It was unclear which group carried out the attack and no one immediately claimed responsibility. Parachinar itself is home to a significant Shia community. Pakistan has suffered a spate of bombings since Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was sworn in last month, underscoring the challenges he faces in taming sectarian violence as well as an escalating Taliban-linked insurgency.
Both explosions took place before sunset just as people flocked to the market area to buy food for their evening meals after a day of fasting during the holy month of Ramazan. “A lot of people usually throng roadside markets in Parachinar before sunset for Iftar (dinner) shopping,” said tribesman Haider Ali. “Hundreds of people were present during the blasts and that’s why the death toll was high.” agenceis
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk