Child suicide bomber kills 53 during Friday prayers at Pakistani mosque

2011-08-20 08:22:37 GMT+7 (ICT)

JAMRUD, PAKISTAN (BNO NEWS) -- More than 50 people were killed when a teenage suicide bomber blew himself up inside a mosque in northwest Pakistan during Friday prayers, officials said.

The attack happened at around 1.40 p.m. local time when a blast ripped through the Mandokhel Mosque in the Ghondi area of Jamrud, which is located in the volatile Khyber Agency. Between 300 and 500 people were estimated to have been inside the mosque when it happened.

Witnesses told the Express Tribune and The Nation that the suicide bomber was a young boy, aged between 15 and 16 years old, who was dressed in black. He reportedly shouted "who will throw me out of the area now?" before detonating his explosive vest.

According to reports, several days before the attack, militants had entered the mosque but were forced to leave by tribal elders. But it was not immediately known if the incident is related to Friday's attack, and no group immediately claimed responsibility.

Pakistani police said at least 53 people - including children - were killed, making it one of the deadliest attacks in recent years. More than 120 others were injured, many of whom remained in a critical condition at area hospitals on Saturday where an emergency had been declared.

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari expressed his deep shock over the attack, calling it an 'abhorrent act'. He said the government and people remain determined to defeat terrorism and said such gruesome acts cannot deter the resolve of the nation to defeat terrorists.

"The President also asked the law enforcement agencies to take strict measures for the protection of the lives and properties of the people and for the arrest of the masterminds," state-run media reported.

Pakistani Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani also condemned the attack, saying the terrorists behind it are bringing bad name to the religion. "The Prime Minister reiterated the government's resolve to root out the scourge of terrorism as the people were united behind the democratic government to fight out extremism and terrorism," state-run media reported.

Provincial Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain, talking to journalists, said those behind the attack were neither Muslims nor human beings, adding that such an 'act beyond barbarism' is not tolerated in any religion of the world.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-08-20

One off-topic, argumentative post has been removed.

An 'abhorrent act' indeed.

Yes, it was.

Despicable.

Least we not forget: The biggest killer of Muslims: militant Islamists.

A child bomber. That says it all.

A child bomber. That says it all.

Yeah the so called "religion of peace"IMHO the threat/spread of Islamic radicalism is far more dangerous to world stability than Communism ever was!.

At least the Communists wanted to live so were careful about not pushing the West too far.