The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for a deadly bombing at a Shi’ite mosque on the outskirts of Pakistan’s capital Islamabad, an attack that killed at least 30 people and injured scores of others during Friday prayers.
The explosion occurred when a suicide bomber targeted worshippers gathered at the Khadija Tul Kubra Imambargah, one of the largest Shi’ite mosques in the area. According to Pakistani security officials, the attacker opened fire at the mosque’s entrance before detonating an explosive device inside the compound, causing extensive casualties.
ISIS claimed the attack through its propaganda channels, saying it deliberately targeted Shi’ite worshippers, continuing its long-standing campaign of sectarian violence in Pakistan. Authorities said the claim aligns with the group’s past tactics and ideology, though investigations are ongoing to identify all those involved in planning and facilitating the attack.
Emergency services rushed the injured to nearby hospitals, where several victims remain in critical condition. Officials warned that the death toll could rise due to the severity of injuries sustained in the blast.
Pakistan’s leadership strongly condemned the attack, calling it an act of terrorism aimed at destabilising the country and inciting sectarian hatred. Security was tightened across Islamabad and other major cities, particularly around religious sites, as authorities launched intelligence-based operations to track down those responsible.
The bombing marks one of the deadliest attacks in Islamabad in recent years and has renewed concerns about the continued presence of extremist networks capable of striking even heavily guarded parts of the capital.
Security analysts have long pointed out that elements within Pakistan’s security establishment have supported and nurtured Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) as a hedge against the Afghan Taliban, a group that was itself earlier backed by Pakistan. Repeated international warnings that the direct or indirect cultivation of extremist networks — whether for global jihad or against neighbouring India or Afghanistan — would ultimately prove self-destructive for Pakistan are now playing out, as terrorist groups once viewed as strategic assets increasingly turn their violence inward, targeting civilians and religious communities within the country.
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