Pakistan

Two mosques bombed, six dead, Taliban claims responsibility

Article published on the 2009-06-12 Latest update 2009-06-13 10:05 TU

A mosque bombed in Nowshera, Pakistan, 12 June 2009
(Photo: Reuters)

The Taliban has said that it was behind two suicide bombings at mosques in Pakistan on Friday and another on Tuesday. Six people died in the Friday attacks and hundreds were wounded.

Among the dead on Friday was a prominent cleric, Sarfraz Naeemi, who spoke out against the Taliban.

A spokesman for Tehrik-e-Taliban, the Taliban Movement of Pakistan, told AFP his organisation was responsible for the blasts on Friday and the suicide attack on a hotel in Peshawar earlier in the week.

"We attacked Pearl Continental Hotel in Peshawar because foreigners were coming here and were making conspiracies against Islam and Taliban," Maulvi Omar told AFP. "Anyone who will oppose us to please the Americans will face the same fate."

On Friday, the Pakistani military also said that 39 insurgents and 10 soldiers had died in fighting with the Taliban.

The attack which killed Naeemi hit the Garhi Shahu neighbourhood of Lahore. The city's police chief said that a suicide bomber had entered the room where Naeemi was sitting with others after Friday prayers, and blew himself up. He said two people were killed in the blast.

"Naeemi was seriously injured and shifted to hospital where he passed away," provincial police chief Tariq Saleem Dogar told reporters. 

In the other attack, police say, four people died and at least 105 were wounded when a car filled with explosives was driven into a mosque in the northwestern garrison town of Nowshera, just as people had gathered for Friday prayers.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani "strongly condemned" the attacks and ordered an inquiry, the Associated Press of Pakistan reported.

At least nine people were killed in a suicide bombing at a luxury hotel in Peshawar on Tuesday.