Death toll from Parachinar suicide attacks reaches 57

Death toll from twin deadly suicide bombings, targeting Shiite Muslims in Kurram tribal region, reached 57 on Saturday as more injured died of wounds, officials said.

Officials and hospital sources say that nearly 180 others people were injured in the attacks in Parachinar, headquarters of Kurram agency, just minutes before the people had to break their fast in the Holy Month of Ramazan.

Shiite groups started three-day mourning across the country against the terror attacks, which killed and injured mostly civilians including children.

They will hold rallies and stage protest sit-in in major cities to condemn the attacks. Leaders of Majlis Wahdat-ul-Muslimeen and other groups will hold demonstrations.

Some groups also took processions late Friday and condemned the massacre of Shia Muslims in terror attacks. Angry demonstrators condemned the government for their failure to break the network of those who target innocent people.

Giving details about the attacks, Riaz Mehsud, Political Agent of Kurram Agency, said the suicide bombers came on motorbikes and blew themselves up in the crowded Parachinar marketplace.

He said around 400 persons were busy shopping for Iftar in the narrow roadside markets when the suicide blasts took place.

“One suicide bomber blew himself up first in one corner of the bazaar and a minute later the second bomber carried out the attack in another corner, causing widespread destruction,” the top government official in the Kurram tribal region said.

A Parachinar resident Amjad Hussain said a large number of tribesmen were busy shopping mostly for eatables for breaking their fast when the blast took place.

Meanwhile, the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), claimed responsibility for the two bomb explosions in Parachinar.

Talking to reporters from an undisclosed location by phone, a spokesman for the proscribed TTP’s sub-network, Ansarul Mujahideen, said it was behind the bombings.

The spokesman, Abu Baseer claimed responsibility for the twin blasts in Parachinar.

“The suicide bombers of Ansarul Mujahideen carried out the twin suicide attacks in Parachinar on Friday and the target were members of the Shia community,” the spokesman claimed.

“We have planned more similar attacks against the Shia community in Pakistan to seek revenge of the brutalities of Shia on Sunni Muslims in Syria and Iraq,” Abu Baseer warned.

President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif have strongly condemned the blasts in Parachinar.

They president expressed sympathies with the bereaved families and prayed for eternal peace of those who embraced martyrdom as a result of the terrorist activity.

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Posted by Tahir Khan on Jul 27 2013. Filed under Latest News, National, Pakistan. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.