Suicide bombers kill more than 70 at Pakistan church PESHAWAR (AFP) – A twin suicide bombing killed more than 70 people at a church service in northwest Pakistan on Sunday in what is believed to be the deadliest attack on Christians in the country. The two attackers struck at the end of a service at All Saints Church in Peshawar, the main town in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province which has borne the brunt of a bloody Islamist insurgency in recent years. Doctor Arshad Javed of Peshawar’s Lady Reading Hospital told AFP that 72 people had been killed and more than 100 wounded. Provincial health minister Shaukat Ali Yousufzai confirmed the death toll and told AFP the provincial government had announced a three-day period of mourning in the state. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif condemned the “cruel” attack, saying it violated the tenets of Islam. Sahibzada Anees, one of Peshawar’s most senior officials, told reporters the bombers struck when the service had just ended. “Most of the wounded are in critical condition,” Anees said. “We are in an area which is a target of terrorism and within that area there was a special security arrangement for the church. We are in a rescue phase and once it is over we will investigate what went wrong.” Former minister for inter-faith harmony Paul Bhatti and provincial lawmaker Fredrich Azeem Ghauri both said the attack was the deadliest ever targeting Christians in Pakistan.
Posted on: Sun, 22 Sep 2013 18:17:53 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015