Pakistan: Explosion Kills 3 At Mosque in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Second Blast Within Hours – News18

Shortly after an explosion was reported in Pakistan’s Balochistan, another blast ripped through a mosque in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, leaving three dead and 12 injured. The incident occurred in the Hangu district during the weekly prayer on Friday, according to local media. As many as 30-40 people were trapped under the rubble as the mosque’s roof caved in, according to local police officials.

Two suicide bombers were involved in the attack; one targeted the gate of the police station, while the other detonated himself inside the mosque, as reported by GEO News. Azam Khan, the caretaker Chief Minister of the northwestern province, directed officials to enforce an emergency in all city hospitals as he sought a report on the blast from law enforcers.

The blast in Khyber was the second attack to hit Pakistan on Friday. At least 52 people were killed, and dozens were wounded by a ‘suicide blast’ near a mosque in Balochistan. So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the explosion or any of the blasts.

The blast took place in the Mustang district of the southwestern province during a religious gathering marking the birthday of Prophet Mohammed, as reported by Pakistan’s Dawn, citing the assistant commissioner of the district.

Pakistan’s interior ministry stated that the blast in Balochistan was carried out by “terrorist elements.” “The attack on innocent people who came to participate in the procession of Eid Milad-ul-Nabi is a very heinous act,” the ministry said in a statement. Meanwhile, Balochistan’s Minister for Information, Jan Achakzai, posted on X that the number of dead was rising.

The recent surges in militancy have raised concerns for security forces ahead of national elections scheduled for January next year. The Islamic country saw 22 suicide attacks in the first eight months of 2023, resulting in 227 deaths and 497 injuries.