Pakistan: 7 Children Dead in Bomb Blast
An explosion occurred at a religious school in Pakistani city of Peshawar. At least seven people were killed and 109 wounded in the blast.
Police and health officials have said that an explosion at a religious school in Peshawar, Pakistan has killed at least seven children and wounded 109 others. Most of those injured aged between 20 and 40. However, when the blast happened it was not immediately clear how many children were among those killed or wounded. The blast occurred at the Speen Jamaat mosque. It is also a religious school for the local community. The blast occurred at 8:30am time on Tuesday 27th October. Peshawar police chief Muhammad Ali Khan told reporters near the scene, “Students were reading the Quran here, that is when the explosion occurred. Initial investigation shows that five to six kilogrammes of explosive material was used and that someone came here and left a bag of explosives.” The police’s bomb disposal unit chief said the bomb device was sophisticated in design and involved a timed detonation.
He added, “There has been a lot of damage, and this attack has been planned with great thought.” Television footage from the scene of the blast showed a lot of damage to the interior of the mosque’s main prayer hall. Those wounded were treated at the Lady Reading Hospital (LRH). An official at the Lady Reading Hospital (LRH), said five of the wounded were in critical condition. No one claimed responsibility for the attack. Pakistan has battled the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) a terrorist organisation also known as Pakistani Taliban since 2007, when the group was formed. They carried out frequent attacks against civilian and security targets across the country. Violence has sharply declined since 2014, when the Pakistani military launched a series of operations to displace the TTP from its headquarters. The frequency of bomb explosions has lessened, but sporadic attacks aimed at civilians and security forces continue to occur. Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan expressed condolences in Tweet saying: "I want to assure my nation we will ensure the terrorists responsible for this cowardly barbaric attack are brought to justice asap (sic),"
