Metro
Photos: At least 30 dead in suicide attack on Pakistan Shiite mosque
At least 30 people were killed and 80 wounded in a suicide attack at a Shiite mosque on Friday in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar, where rescuers frantically ferried the dead and wounded from the scene.
One witness saw the attacker enter the mosque before Friday prayers and open “fire with a pistol”, picking out the worshippers “one-by-one”.
He “then blew himself up”, Ali Asghar said.
A soldier stands guard inside a mosque after a bomb blast in Peshawar on March 4, 2022. (Photo by Abdul MAJEED / AFP)
The attack comes on the first day of a cricket Test match in Rawalpindi — around 190 kilometres (120 miles) to the east — between Pakistan and Australia, who haven’t toured the country in nearly a quarter of a century because of security concerns.
Muhammad Ali Saif, a spokesman for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial government, told AFP “more than 30” were killed and some 80 others wounded in the blast near Peshawar’s Kocha Risaldar, a similar distance west of the capital Islamabad.
“It was a suicide attack,” he said.
Medical staff and men help move an injured blast victim outside a hospital after a bomb blast at a mosque in Peshawar on March 4, 2022. (Photo by Abdul MAJEED / AFP)
An AFP reporter saw body parts strewn at the site, where desperate family members were held back by police. The explosion blew out the windows of nearby buildings.
“I saw a man firing at two policemen before he entered the mosque. Seconds later I heard a big bang,” said witness Zahid Khan.
People help an injured man outside a hospital following a bomb blast at a mosque in Peshawar on March 4, 2022. (Photo by Abdul MAJEED / AFP)
Rescue personnel push a stretcher with the body of a victim after a bomb blast at a mosque in Peshawar on March 4, 2022. (Photo by Abdul MAJEED / AFP)
– Police officers shot –
Peshawar police chief Muhammad Ijaz Khan told AFP the death toll could be higher than 30 and that two attackers were involved.
He said two police officers were shot at the entrance of the mosque.
“One policeman died on the spot while the other was critically injured,” he said.
Muhammad Asim Khan, a spokesman for Peshawar’s Lady Reading Hospital said “we have declared an emergency at the hospitals and more injured are being brought”.
A spokesman for Prime Minister Imran Khan’s office said he “strongly condemned” the attack.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the apparent suicide bombing.
An injured man (R) uses a mobile phone outside a hospital following a bomb blast at a mosque in Peshawar on March 4, 2022. (Photo by Abdul MAJEED / AFP)
Peshawar — just 50 kilometres from the porous border with Afghanistan — was a frequent target of militants in the early 2010s but security has greatly improved in recent years.
Sunni majority Pakistan has recently been battling a resurgence of its domestic chapter of the Taliban, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
A one-month truce last year failed to hold and there are fears the TTP — which has targeted Shia Muslims in the past — has been emboldened by the success of the Afghan Taliban.
Shiites in the region have also been targeted by the regional iteration of the Islamic State group, Islamic State Khorasan (ISK).
At least 31 people were killed in a suicide blast at a crowded market in Peshawar in 2018.
At least 88 people died and hundreds more were wounded a year earlier when a suicide bomber blew himself up among a crowd of devotees at a revered Sufi shrine in southern Sindh province.
Suspected kidnappers on Wednesday night shot a tomato farmer, Daniel Adesida, and abducted his wife during an attack on their residence along Oda Road in Akure, the Ondo State capital.
The incident reportedly occurred around 8:45 p.m., when the gunmen invaded the residence and attempted to whisk away the farmer’s wife.
Sources said Adesida sustained a gunshot injury to his right hand while trying to resist the attackers, who eventually escaped with his wife.
Confirming the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer of the Ondo State Command, Abayomi Jimoh, said police operatives swiftly responded after receiving a distress call.
According to him, officers mobilised to the scene, rescued the injured victim and ensured he received medical attention.
“Upon receiving the distress call, police operatives swiftly mobilised to the scene, ensured the injured victim was rescued and taken to the police clinic for medical attention, and secured the area,” Jimoh said.
He added that the Commissioner of Police in the state, Adebowale Lawal, had ordered an immediate manhunt for the fleeing suspects.
“The Commissioner of Police has ordered intensified patrols, bush combing operations and intelligence gathering within the affected area and adjoining communities with a view to apprehending the fleeing suspects,” he stated.
Jimoh assured residents that efforts were ongoing to rescue the abducted woman and bring the perpetrators to justice.
He also urged members of the public to remain vigilant and promptly report suspicious movements or individuals to the nearest police station.
Three workers of a concrete block factory were on Friday morning abducted in the Olojuoro area of Oluyole Local Government Area, Oyo State.
The victims were said to be staff of a concrete block industry owned by Prince Jelili Oyetunde, located within the council area.
Sources told our correspondent that the workers — identified as Adekola Muidini Asanti, Yinka and Saheed — were kidnapped at gunpoint inside a nearby canteen where they had gone to take breakfast before resuming work for the day.
Speaking with journalists on Saturday, the factory owner, Prince Oyetunde, said Closed Circuit Television footage captured the moment the assailants carried out the abduction.
He alleged that the suspected abductors are Baale Alimi Yusuf, Tunde Lawal, Saheed Olawoyin, Ibrahim Shittu and Sule Adigun.
Oyetunde further alleged that one of the suspects carted away a bag belonging to the factory manager during the operation.
He added that both he and the suspected abductors were scheduled to appear before the Oyo State Anti-Land Grabbing Agency next Wednesday, March 4, over a related dispute.
The businessman disclosed that the incident had been reported to the police.
According to him, the Divisional Police Officer in charge of Sanyo Police Station confirmed that the abductors allegedly took the victims to the station and were instructed to release them.
He, however, lamented that the whereabouts of the workers had remained unknown since they reportedly left the station.
“We have visited police stations within Oluyole Local Government and made announcements on different radio stations, but as of this morning, their whereabouts remain unknown,” Oyetunde said.
The Nigeria Union of Journalists has been thrown into mourning following the death of seven journalists in a fatal road accident in Gombe State.
The journalists reportedly died on Monday while returning from the wedding ceremony of a colleague held in Kaltungo Local Government Area of the state.
Findings revealed that the accident occurred after a tyre burst on the bus conveying the journalists, leading to a loss of control and a fatal crash.
Confirming the incident, the Gombe State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Samson Kaura, said seven persons died in the crash, while four others sustained varying degrees of injuries.
Kaura added that the injured victims were rescued from the scene and taken to medical facilities for treatment.
The Director-General, Government House Press and Media Affairs, Ismaila Misili, also confirmed the death toll, describing the incident as tragic and devastating to the state’s media community.
Reacting, the National President of the NUJ, Alhassan Yahya, in a statement, expressed deep sorrow over the deaths, describing the incident as a huge loss to the journalism profession in Gombe State and Nigeria at large.
Yahya said the deceased journalists were dedicated professionals who served the public with courage, integrity and professionalism.
“They were committed practitioners who served the public with courage, integrity and professionalism. Their loss has left an irreplaceable void in our noble profession,” he said.
The NUJ president also expressed the union’s solidarity with the families of the deceased and members of the Gombe State media community.
“We pray that Almighty God grants eternal rest to the souls of the departed and gives their loved ones the fortitude to bear this painful loss,” he added.
Yahya, speaking on behalf of the National Executive Council and journalists across the country, extended condolences to the Gombe State Council of the NUJ, as well as friends and colleagues of the victims.
He further said the tragic incident highlighted the need for improved road safety measures and responsible driving to prevent avoidable loss of lives, especially among journalists who frequently travel in the course of their duties.
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