terrorist
Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of criminal violence to provoke a state of terror or fear, mostly with the intention to achieve political or religious aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violen ...
attack that killed 84 people on 30 January 2023, at around 1:30 p.m. PKT, in the city of
Peshawar
Peshawar (; ps, پېښور ; hnd, ; ; ur, ) is the sixth most populous city in Pakistan, with a population of over 2.3 million. It is situated in the north-west of the country, close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is ...
, in the northwestern province of
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ps, خېبر پښتونخوا; Urdu, Hindko: خیبر پختونخوا) commonly abbreviated as KP or KPK, is one of the Administrative units of Pakistan, four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, ...
in Pakistan. The
mosque
A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a Place of worship, place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers (sujud) ...
counterterrorism
Counterterrorism (also spelled counter-terrorism), also known as anti-terrorism, incorporates the practices, military tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, law enforcement, business, and intelligence agencies use to combat or el ...
department. At the time of the bombing, between 300 and 400 police officers were offering their
Zuhr prayer
The Zuhr prayer ( ar, صَلَاة ٱلظُّهْر ', "noon prayer") is one of the five mandatory salah (Islamic prayer). As an Islamic day starts at sunset, the Zuhr prayer is technically the fourth prayer of the day.Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a faction of the
Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan
The Pakistani Taliban (), formally called the Tehreek-e-Taliban-e-Pakistan (Urdu/ ps, , lit=Student Movement of Pakistan, TTP), is an umbrella organization of various Islamist armed militant groups operating along the Afghan–Pakistani bor ...
(TTP), claimed responsibility for the bombing, stating that it was carried out to avenge the death of the founder and former leader of the Jamaat-ul-Ahrar. The main TTP group, through its spokesperson, later denied involvement but did not comment on statements made by Jamaat-ul-Ahrar.
The bombing was widely condemned both domestically and internationally, with leaders from around the world condemning the attack and expressing condolences for the victims and their families. The United Nations Secretary General's spokeswoman called the bombing "particularly abhorrent" as it took place in a site of worship.
Background
In 2004, Islamist attacks intensified into a war between
insurgent
An insurgency is a violent, armed rebellion against authority waged by small, lightly armed bands who practice guerrilla warfare from primarily rural base areas. The key descriptive feature of insurgency is its asymmetric nature: small irregu ...
s and the
Pakistani government
The Government of Pakistan ( ur, , translit=hakúmat-e pákistán) abbreviated as GoP, is a federal government established by the Constitution of Pakistan as a constituted governing authority of the four provinces, two autonomous territories, ...
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment ...
,
2015
File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the April ...
, and
2022
File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretariat; The global monkeyp ...
.
Bombing
The mosque is located inside a high-security compound that includes the headquarters of the provincial police force and a counterterrorism department. On 30 January 2023, the suicide bomber passed multiple barricades manned by the local police without being detected – a preliminary investigation suggests that he wore a police uniform and arrived on a motorcycle. Between 300 and 400 police officials were present in the mosque at the time to offer their
Zuhr prayer
The Zuhr prayer ( ar, صَلَاة ٱلظُّهْر ', "noon prayer") is one of the five mandatory salah (Islamic prayer). As an Islamic day starts at sunset, the Zuhr prayer is technically the fourth prayer of the day.
The bomber triggered the suicide vest at around 1:30pm while standing in the first row of those praying, causing a powerful blast which collapsed the mosque's roof. A policeman who survived the bombing said that he saw "a huge burst of flames" before he was surrounded by a plume of black dust. 84 people were killed and twice as many were injured; 90% of the casualties were police officers.
Perpetrator
Following the bombing, Omar Mukaram Khurasani, the current emir of the Jamaat-ul-Ahrar faction and a member of the
Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan
The Pakistani Taliban (), formally called the Tehreek-e-Taliban-e-Pakistan (Urdu/ ps, , lit=Student Movement of Pakistan, TTP), is an umbrella organization of various Islamist armed militant groups operating along the Afghan–Pakistani bor ...
's (TTP) leadership council, claimed responsibility for the bombing; he said that the bombing was carried out to avenge the death of Omar Khalid Khorasani, his brother, founder and former leader of the faction, who was responsible for the 2014 Peshawar school massacre. Sarbakaf Mohmand from the TTP Mohamand chapter confirmed that the bomber's name was Huzaifa and he was 25 years old, and that they will soon release a photo of the bomber with more details.
Subsequently, the main TTP group, through its spokesperson, denied involvement. TTP's spokesperson, however, did not comment on earlier statements made by TTP officials such as Sarbakaf Mohmand and Omar Mukaram Khurasani, who had claimed responsibility for the blast.
The TTP is an umbrella organization of various Islamist armed terrorist groups operating along the Afghan–Pakistani border. Bill Roggio believes that the Jamaat-ul-Ahrar might have launched the suicide bomber's attack without the knowledge and approval of its parent organization but given the organization of the TTP, and with the history of these two groups, it is more likely that the TTP was aware of the bombing. Bill Roggio further adds that TTP may be relying on the fact that the relationships between the TTP central leadership and its various factions are complex and often confusing to deny its involvement in the attack.
Shehbaz Sharif
Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif (Urdu, Punjabi: , ; born 23 September 1951) is a Pakistani politician and businessman who is currently serving as the 23rd Prime Minister of Pakistan, in office since 11 April 2022. He is the current president o ...
condemned the bombing, stating that the bombing is incompatible with Islam and that the entirety of Pakistan stands against the "menace of terrorism". Former prime minister
Imran Khan
Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi ( ur}; born 5 October 1952) is a Pakistani politician and former Cricket captain who served as the 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan from August 2018 to until April 2022, when he was ousted through a no-confidenc ...
condemned the bombing, saying, "It is imperative we improve our intelligence gathering and properly equip our police forces to combat the growing threat of terrorism."
International
The bombing drew condemnation from India, Canada, China, the United States, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmonizi ...
, with
Secretary General
Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the organization. The term is derive ...
António Guterres
António Manuel de Oliveira Guterres ( , ; born 30 April 1949) is a Portuguese politician and diplomat. Since 2017, he has served as secretary-general of the United Nations, the ninth person to hold this title. A member of the Portuguese Socia ...
' spokeswoman saying "it is particularly abhorrent that such an attack occurred at a place of worship."
Death count
Initial reporting placed the death count of the attack at 101. However, this was later revised down to 84.
Terrorism in Pakistan
Terrorism in Pakistan, according to the Ministry of Interior, poses a significant threat to the people of Pakistan. The current wave of terrorism is believed to have started in 2000 and peaked during 2009. Since then, it has drastically decl ...