Mosque explosion in Pakistan capital kills at least 15 and injures nearly 100

At least 15 people were killed and approximately 100 people were injured in a powerful explosion that occurred in a Shiite mosque in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, on Friday.

Police said the explosion that occurred after prayers was a deliberate attack and confirmed that the investigation was ongoing.

Disturbing television footage and social media footage showed officers and residents scrambling to carry bloodied victims to nearby hospitals as ambulances rushed to the scene.

In the statement made by Islamabad local authorities, it was stated that 15 people lost their lives in the attack on the mosque in the Tarlai district of the city, and that “the number of patients brought to various hospitals exceeded 80.”

Pakistani Interior Minister Muhsin Naqvi condemned the attack and called on authorities to provide the best possible medical care to the injured who were taken to hospitals across the capital.

No group immediately claimed responsibility, but suspicion is likely to turn to militant groups such as the Pakistani Taliban or Islamic State. Both were blamed for earlier attacks targeting Shiite worshipers, a minority in Pakistan.

Police said the explosion, which hit a large mosque during prayers, was a deliberate attack and confirmed an investigation was ongoing.

Militants frequently target security forces and civilians across Pakistan.

In November, a suicide bomber killed 12 people outside a court in Islamabad.

The latest attack comes about a week after the outlawed Baloch Liberation Army launched several attacks in the rebel-hit southwestern province of Balochistan, killing nearly 50 people.

According to the army, security forces responding to these attacks killed more than 200 ‘terrorists’.

This is breaking news, more to come.