Pakistani Suicide Bomber Hits Shi'ite Community
- 14 years ago
The Pakistani city of Muzaffarabad is being cleaned up after a suicide bomber blew himself up outside a Shi’ite (shee ayt) Muslim gathering. The explosion went off at the end of a religious procession, killing at least five people and wounding over 30.
A government official recalls the tragic event.
[Asif Naqvi, Eyewitness]:
"A procession was entering here after the Maghrib prayers when a suicide bomber attempted to enter. Our volunteers tried to stop him by firing shots at him but he exploded himself."
According to police reports the bomber was with a smaller procession coming toward the prayer hall. And when he saw people being searched, he set off his explosives.
[Syed Shabbir Hussain Bukhari, Shi'ite Prayer Hall]:
"These terrorists can neither defeat Pakistanis with these kinds of acts (of terrorism) nor can they demoralize them. I say this with full conviction, they cannot demoralize an army and they can not demoralize institutions."
The blast has highlighted Pakistan’s security challenges as the country is battling against al Qaeda-linked militants. The country is also under U.S. pressure to help stabilize Afghanistan, where a Taliban insurgency is raging.
A government official recalls the tragic event.
[Asif Naqvi, Eyewitness]:
"A procession was entering here after the Maghrib prayers when a suicide bomber attempted to enter. Our volunteers tried to stop him by firing shots at him but he exploded himself."
According to police reports the bomber was with a smaller procession coming toward the prayer hall. And when he saw people being searched, he set off his explosives.
[Syed Shabbir Hussain Bukhari, Shi'ite Prayer Hall]:
"These terrorists can neither defeat Pakistanis with these kinds of acts (of terrorism) nor can they demoralize them. I say this with full conviction, they cannot demoralize an army and they can not demoralize institutions."
The blast has highlighted Pakistan’s security challenges as the country is battling against al Qaeda-linked militants. The country is also under U.S. pressure to help stabilize Afghanistan, where a Taliban insurgency is raging.