Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Bomber kills 40 in Pakistani mosque

Riaz Khan
Saturday 20 August 2011 00:00 BST
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A suicide bomber struck a mosque in a Pakistani tribal region during Friday prayers, killing at least 40 people and wounding 85 others in the deadliest attack in the country in recent weeks, officials said.

The attack came during the holy month of Ramadan, a time of fasting, sharing and heightened community spirit for Muslims.

No group immediately claimed responsibility, but the Taliban and other Islamist militants have previously targeted mosques, especially if they believe enemies – such as soldiers or anti-militant tribesmen – are using the facilities.

The mosque hit yesterday is in Ghundai, a village in the north-western Khyber tribal region. Khyber has long been a base for Islamist militants, and the Pakistani army has waged multiple operations aimed at pacifying the region but with limited success.

Some 300 people had gathered for Friday prayers in the Sunni mosque, and many were on their way out when the explosion occurred, said a local administrator, Iqbal Khan.

AP

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in