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ISLAMABAD: A suicide bombing outside a mosque on the outskirts of Pakistan&rsquo;s capital martyred at least 31 people and injured more than 100 during Friday prayers, according to the Islamabad city administration, in the deadliest attack in the capital in more than a decade. &nbsp;City officials said the attacker attempted to enter the Imambargah Qasr-e-Khadijatul Kubra mosque in the Tarlai area but was stopped at the main gate, where the explosion occurred. The blast struck as worshippers gathered for Friday prayers, when mosques across the country are typically filled.&nbsp;&ldquo;According to the Islamabad administration, the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber who was stopped at the mosque&rsquo;s gate,&rdquo; officials said, adding that at least 31 people were killed and 101 others injured.&nbsp;State Minister for Interior Tallal Chaudry said the attacker had been identified and claimed the blast was sponsored by &ldquo;Indian- and Afghanistan-based terrorist groups.&rdquo; He told reporters that the bomber had a travel history to Afghanistan prior to the attack.&nbsp;&ldquo;These terrorists operate in two shapes: those who grow beards and misuse religion, and others like the BLA who weaponize ethnicity. Both are funded in dollars, not ideology,&rdquo; Chaudry said.&nbsp;Rejecting any religious justification for the attack, Chaudhry added: &ldquo;How can anyone use the name of religion to kill people standing before Allah? No Muslim can do this.&rdquo;&nbsp;Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi visited the site and later prayed at the mosque in solidarity with the victims. Police and law enforcement agencies cordoned off the area, launching search and investigation operations as hospitals across the capital were placed on high alert.&nbsp;Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the attack, calling for swift justice.&nbsp;&ldquo;The perpetrators of the blast must be identified and brought to justice,&rdquo; the prime minister said in a statement.&nbsp;He expressed &ldquo;deep sorrow and grief&rdquo; over those martyred, conveyed condolences to the bereaved families, and directed Naqvi to conduct a full investigation immediately.&nbsp;Sharif also instructed that the injured receive the best possible medical treatment, asking the health minister to personally oversee their care.&nbsp;President Asif Ali Zardari described the bombing as &ldquo;a crime against humanity,&rdquo; saying the nation stood &ldquo;shoulder to shoulder with the affected families in this hour of grief.&rdquo;&nbsp;Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar also condemned the attack, calling it &ldquo;a heinous crime against humanity and a blatant violation of Islamic principles.&rdquo;&nbsp;In a post on X, he said, &ldquo;Pakistan stands united against terrorism in all its forms.&rdquo;&nbsp;The explosion marked the deadliest attack in Islamabad since September 2008, when a suicide truck bombing at the Marriott Hotel killed 60 people. Yellow crime scene tape surrounded the blast site on Friday, with shoes, torn clothing and shattered glass scattered across the ground.&nbsp;The attack comes amid intensifying security challenges in Pakistan&rsquo;s northern and southern regions. Islamabad has said militant groups in Balochistan, as well as the Pakistani Taliban and other armed groups in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, have used Afghan territory as safe havens to launch attacks.&nbsp;International condemnationThe attack drew swift condemnation from around the world. The United States denounced the bombing, calling violence against civilians and places of worship &ldquo;unacceptable.&rdquo;&nbsp;&ldquo;On behalf of the United States, I offer our sincere condolences to those injured and to the families and loved ones of those killed by this attack,&rdquo; US Charg&eacute; d&rsquo;Affaires Natalie A. Baker said, adding that Washington continues to support Pakistan&rsquo;s efforts to advance peace and security.&nbsp; The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio &zwnj;Guterres &ldquo;condemns &zwnj;in &zwnj;the ⁠strongest terms&rdquo; Friday&rsquo;s &zwnj;attack, &zwj;a UN spokesperson said in a statement. &nbsp;British High Commissioner Jane Marriott said she was &ldquo;outraged and heartbroken,&rdquo; adding, &ldquo;Such violence is abhorrent. We stand with Pakistan.&rdquo;&nbsp;The United Arab Emirates said it &ldquo;strongly denounces these criminal acts&rdquo; and reiterated its rejection of &ldquo;all forms of violence, extremism and terrorism aimed at undermining security and stability.&rdquo;&nbsp;Saudi Arabia likewise condemned the bombing, stressing its &ldquo;firm rejection of targeting places of worship&rdquo; and affirming solidarity with Pakistan.&nbsp;Condemnations and messages of support were also issued by France, the European Union, Russia, China, T&uuml;rkiye, Iran, Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Australia, Norway, Spain, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Czechia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Romania.&nbsp;Russian President Vladimir Putin, in letters addressed to President Zardari and PM Sharif, said the killing of worshippers during a religious ceremony was &ldquo;yet another testament to the barbaric and inhumane nature of terrorism,&rdquo; and reaffirmed Russia&rsquo;s readiness to strengthen cooperation with Pakistan against terrorism.&nbsp;Responding to the outpouring of international support, PM Sharif said: &ldquo;I am grateful for the strong messages of sympathy and support that we have received from across the globe. The perpetrators of this heinous crime will be brought to justice with full force, and their nefarious designs will never be allowed to succeed.&rdquo;&nbsp;&ldquo;The brave Pakistani nation stands united at this time,&rdquo; he added, &ldquo;and we remain fully committed to our resolve to defeat terrorism, as we always have.&rdquo;<div class="fr-embed"> </div>

Security

State Minister for Interior Tallal Chaudry says the Islamabad mosque suicide blast is sponsored by terrorist groups based in Afghanistan and India, targeting worshippers during Friday prayers.

Suicide blast outside Islamabad mosque leaves 31 martyred, sparks global condemnation

DAMASCUS: A deadly explosion hit a mosque in a predominantly Alawite area of Syria&#39;s Homs on Friday, said authorities who reported at least six people killed. &quot;A terrorist explosion targeted the Ali Bin Abi Talib Mosque during Friday prayers in Al-Khadri Street in the Wadi al-Dahab neighbourhood of Homs,&quot; the interior ministry said in a statement, adding that six people were killed and 21 others wounded. Homs was the scene of heavy sectarian violence during Syria&#39;s civil war. Syria&#39;s state news agency SANA, which also reported the blast, said its cause and nature were being investigated. According to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor, it was not immediately clear whether the blast &quot;was caused by a suicide attack or an explosive device. A local security source in Homs told AFP on condition of anonymity that the explosion may have been caused by &quot;an explosive device placed inside the mosque. A resident of the area, requesting anonymity out of fear for his safety, told AFP people &quot;heard a loud explosion, followed by chaos and panic in the neighbourhood&quot;. &quot;No one dares to leave their house, and we are hearing ambulance sirens,&quot; he added. SANA published photos from inside the mosque, one of which showed a hole in a wall. Black smoke covered part of the mosque, with carpets and books scattered nearby. Homs city is home to a Sunni Muslim majority but also has several predominantly Alawite areas. While most Syrians are Sunni, the ousted ruler, Bashar al-Assad, belongs to the Alawite community, whose faith stems from Shiite Islam. Since Assad&#39;s ouster in 2024, the Observatory and ordinary Syrians in Homs have reported kidnappings and killings targeting members of the minority community. Syria&#39;s coastal areas saw the massacre of Alawite civilians in March, with authorities accusing armed Assad supporters of sparking the violence by attacking security forces. A national commission of inquiry said at least 1,426 members of the minority community were killed at the time, while the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor put the toll at more than 1,700.

FILE: Pro-Turkish Syrian fighters carry away the victim of a car-bomb explosion last November in Tal Abyad (AFP)

Australasia

A deadly explosion hit a mosque in a predominantly Alawite area of Syria's Homs on Friday, said authorities who reported at least six people killed.

Deadly blast hits mosque in Alawite area of Syria's Homs

ISLAMABAD: Conflicting accounts and rapid speculation by sections of the Indian media have followed an explosion in the heart of New Delhi, even as authorities stated that the cause remains under investigation.&nbsp;According to AFP, at least eight people were killed and 19 others injured when a vehicle exploded near the Red Fort Metro Station in the densely populated Old Delhi district on Tuesday. The blast occurred close to the historic 17th-century Mughal landmark, a major tourist attraction.&nbsp;Delhi Police spokesperson Sanjay Tyagi confirmed that the explosion took place inside a vehicle, but said officials had not yet determined what triggered it.&nbsp;&ldquo;The exact cause is still under investigation,&rdquo; Tyagi said. &ldquo;We have teams on the ground gathering evidence.&rdquo;&nbsp;Local television networks reported footage showing multiple vehicles engulfed in flames and thick smoke rising in a crowded street near the metro station. According to the city&rsquo;s deputy fire chief, six vehicles and three autorickshaws caught fire before the blaze was brought under control. At dawn on Tuesday, AFP reporters at the site of the explosion said police white sheets had been erected around the charred remains of vehicles overnight. Both forensic and anti-terrorism agencies were searching for evidence, while security was increased across New Delhi.&nbsp;Statements from Indian leadershipPrime Minister Narendra Modi expressed sympathy in a message on X, saying he offered condolences to the families of those killed in the Delhi blast and wished a swift recovery for the injured. Home Minister Amit Shah told local media that the explosion involved a Hyundai i20 near a traffic signal close to the Red Fort. He said CCTV footage from the surrounding area will be reviewed as part of the inquiry.&nbsp;&ldquo;We are exploring all possibilities and will conduct a thorough investigation, taking all possibilities into account,&rdquo; Shah said. &ldquo;All options will be investigated immediately, and we will present the results to the public.&rdquo;&nbsp;Following the explosion, New Delhi&rsquo;s international airport, metro stations and government buildings were placed on high security alert, according to official statements.&nbsp;The US and French embassies in Delhi also issued security advisories to their citizens, urging them to avoid crowds and the areas surrounding the Red Fort, and to remain alert in places frequented by tourists.&nbsp;Eyewitness accounts differ from early reportsSome eyewitnesses at the scene described the vehicle involved as a compact Suzuki Maruti, based on what they saw immediately after the explosion. However, officials have referred to the vehicle as a Hyundai i20, and forensic teams remain deployed.&nbsp;Authorities have not yet released CCTV footage to clarify the discrepancy.&nbsp;Speculation over identity raises concerns&nbsp;Some Indian media channels circulated unverified claims linking the vehicle to a man named &ldquo;Salman,&rdquo; despite the absence of police confirmation. Other reports suggested different prior owners from Faridabad and Pulwama, though authorities have not confirmed any ownership chain.&nbsp;No official statement has identified a suspect or motive.&nbsp;Media observers in India have pointed to a pattern of speculation outpacing verified detail during breaking news events.&nbsp;Security questions raisedThe blast occurred near a high-security zone that houses several central government buildings, prompting renewed scrutiny over security measures in the capital.&nbsp;Police said forensic and anti-terror teams continue to examine the site, and further details will be released once initial findings are complete.&nbsp;Authorities continue to disperse crowds at the scene and maintain a security perimeter. With additional inputs from AFP

India

 Indian media begins blame game after Red Fort blast, shifting narratives and naming suspects without confirmation as police say cause remains under investigation

Articles tagged with "Blast"

Suicide blast outside Islamabad mosque leaves 31 martyred, sparks global condemnation

Deadly blast hits mosque in Alawite area of Syria's Homs

Speculation follows deadly New Delhi blast as investigators probe cause