Alwaght- Taliban Takfiri terrorists have killed 22 people and another nearly 70 injured in Pakistan near a Mosque in the northwestern Pakistani town of Parachinar.
Security officials say a car bomb tore through a market on Friday morning in a mainly Shiite Muslim area of Pakistan’s tribal belt with survivors saying they heard a “huge bang”.
Mushtaq Ghani, a spokesman for the provincial government, said the attack took place near Parachinar's Shiite mosque, which is located near the Noor Bazzar (Market). TV footage showed people transporting the victims in ambulances and private vehicles. The explosion came as people gathered for Friday prayers near the women's entrance of the Shiite mosque in the central bazaar.
Jamaat-ul-Ahrar (JuA), a faction of the umbrella Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, or Pakistani Taliban, swiftly claimed the attack. Spokesman Asad Mansoor did not give details, saying the group would issue a statement later.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif condemned the blast, saying it was a “duty” to seek the “complete annihilation” of terrorism in Pakistan, and ordering assistance for local authorities.
But angry Shiite leaders and local residents quickly accused security forces of failure, with small protests breaking out in Parachinar.
Parachinar is a key town in the Kurram tribal region bordering Afghanistan, and it has been racked by sectarian violence in the past. The region was also once a stronghold of Pakistani Taliban terrorist group. Although the army says it has cleared the Kurram region of terrorists, violence has continued there.
