Suicide bomber explodes in Quetta mosque killing 15 including a DSP

Suicide bomber explodes in Quetta mosque killing 15 including a DSP today.

According to Quetta Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Abdul Razzaq Cheema and hospital sources, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Amanullah and the mosque’s imam also lost their lives.

The powerful explosion ripped through the mosque in southwest Pakistan during Friday evening prayers.

However, AP reported bombing also wounded 11 other worshipers in the city of Quetta, the capital of the restive Baluchistan province. But, the AP report quoted local police chief Mohammad Ajmal.

Suicide bomber explodes in Quetta

A senior police officer told DawnNewsTV that the a suicide bomber made this terror attack.

The martyrs include DSP Amanullah who had lost his son in a blast.

The slain police officer was the likely target of the attack, but authorities were still investigating, Ajmal said. Both he and hospital officials said the death toll from the bombing could rise as some of the wounded were in critical condition.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing. But the attack came just days after a roadside bomb in Quetta hit a paramilitary force vehicle, killing two troops.

Hizbul Ahrar, an offshoot of the Pakistani Taliban, claimed responsibility for Tuesday’s attack.

Last May, a bombing at a mosque in Quetta killed two people, including the prayer leader, and wounded 28 worshipers. In August, a powerful bomb exploded inside a mosque during Friday prayers on Quena’s outskirts.

Although Pakistani militants often carry out such attacks, Baluchistan province is also the scene of a low-level insurgency by separatists demanding more autonomy and a greater share in the region’s natural resources such as gas and oil.

The Afghan Taliban have had a strong presence in Quetta. The province shares a long border with Afghanistan and Iran.

Pakistan’s government claims it has quelled the insurgency, but violence has continued.