Taliban Claims Responsibility For Deadly Blast In Pakistan Mosque

The Taliban has claimed responsibility for the deadly bomb explosion that killed 61 people and injured 157 others in a mosque in Pakistan on Monday.

A powerful explosion ripped through a mosque in Peshawar, Pakistan on Monday, with worshipers and some police officers killed.

The mosque is within the tightly-guarded police headquarters area.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said “terrorists want to create fear by targeting those who perform the duty of defending Pakistan”.

According to CNN, Sarbakaf Mohmand and Omar Mukaram Khurasani – two officials from the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) – put out statements saying the blast was “revenge” for the death of TTP militant Khalid Khorasani last year.

The TTP is a US-designated foreign terrorist organization operating in both Afghanistan and Pakistan.

BBC reports that the mosque is in one of the most tightly controlled areas of the city, which includes police headquarters and intelligence and counter-terrorism bureaus.

According to PM Sharif, those behind the attack “have nothing to do with Islam. The entire nation is standing united against the menace of terrorism.

Sharif later tweeted that he just returned from Peshawar and that the sheer scale of the human tragedy was unimaginable.

“This is no less than an attack on Pakistan. The nation is overwhelmed by a deep sense of grief. I have no doubt terrorism is our foremost national security challenge.

“While the pain of the grieving families cannot be described in words, I express my heartfelt condolences & most sincere sympathies. My message to the perpetrators of today’s despicable incident is that you can’t underestimate the resolve of our people,” he said.