11 Killed, 40 Wounded in Pakistan Mosque Blast

Attack Targeted Village Shrine During Friday Prayers

Worshippers were just finishing up Friday prayers in Akbarpura village in Khyber Pakhtoonhwah when a bomb blast tore through the mosque, apparently the result of explosives planted near the pulpit.

The blast tore through the mosque and the associated shrine to Akhund Panju Baba, scattered remnants of copies of the Quran across the village, and killed at least 11 of the worshippers, leaving another 40 badly injured.

Differing reports indicated that the explosives were either detonated remotely or had a time-device attached to them. Either way, the attack does not appear to have been on the site at the time, and it is so far unclear who was responsible.

Police did however arrest 10 “suspected persons” in the district. This is the third major attack in the tiny Nowshera district in the past 12 months, and the second time a mosque was bombed. The district is just outside of the major city of Peshawar, and also borders the Orakzai Agency.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.