Pakistan: Deadly bomb blast at Sufi shrine in Lahore

08.05.2019

Police say a bomb targeting security forces guarding a Sufi shrine has detonated in the city of Lahore. At least eight people are believed to have been killed so far, with many more wounded.

A bomb exploded near a major Sufi shrine in the Pakistani city of Lahore on Wednesday, according to police.

Hundreds of pilgrims were at the Data Darbar site as the country marks the holy month of Ramadan.

What we know so far

The bomb exploded near security forces guarding the shrine.

Lahore's police chief said his officers were the intended target.

At least eight people have been killed so far, a police official told a news conference.

Among the dead are police officers, a security guard and a civilian.

The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility.

Police vehicle targeted

State TV showed pictures of badly-damaged patrol cars. "It was an attack on police that left several dead and dozens of policemen and civilians injured. The target was police," said Syed Mubashir Hussain, a spokesman for the Lahore police.

Muhammad Farooq, a spokesman for the city's rescue services, said a rescue operation "is under way and we have moved 15 people to hospital."

Police official Muhammad Kashif said the bombing "may have been a suicide attack."

"This attack was carried out at a time when there were no civilians near the police," said Abdul Aziz Yousafzai, spokesman for the Hizbul Ahrar militant group, a faction of the Pakistani Taliban.

Pakistan's security situation: Authorities have stepped up the security measures since the country's worst terrorist attack killed more than 150 people at a school in Peshawar in 2014. However, extremist groups are still able to conduct deadly attacks. Lahore has witnessed several attacks in recent years, including a bomb targeting Christians celebrating Easter in 2016. More than 70 people were killed.

Read more: Is Pakistan's war-ravaged northwestern region turning against the military?

Pakistan: A decade of deadly terrorist attacks 2007 - Twin blasts rock Karachi on former PM’s return Two bomb blasts struck former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto’s motorcade on October 18, 2007 in the southern port city of Karachi. Bhutto was returning to Pakistan after almost eight years. The attack left 139 people dead. Bhutto, the first democratically elected female head of an Islamic country, died in an attack two months later, on December 27 in the northern city of Rawalpindi. Pakistan: A decade of deadly terrorist attacks 2008 - Wah bombing The Wah bombing was a double suicide attack on the Pakistan Ordinance Factories (POF) in Wah on August 21, 2008. At least 64 people died in the attack, which remains to date the deadliest on a military site in Pakistan's history. A spokesman from Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack. Pakistan: A decade of deadly terrorist attacks 2008 - Insurgents target luxury hotel in the capital At least 60 people died and over 200 were injured when a truck filled with explosives detonated in front of the Marriot Hotel on September 20, 2008, in the Pakistani capital Islamabad. Five foreign nationals were among the casualties, while another 15 were injured. Pakistan: A decade of deadly terrorist attacks 2009 - Peshawar bombing A car bomb was detonated in Mina Bazar (a market for women and children) in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar. The bomb killed 125 people and injured more than 200 others. The Pakistani government put the blame on the Taliban, but both Taliban and al-Qaida denied involvement in the attack. Pakistan: A decade of deadly terrorist attacks 2009 - Market in Lahore targeted The December 2009 Lahore attacks were a series of two bomb blasts and a shooting which occurred in a crowded market in the country’s second largest city of Lahore on December 7. At least 66 people were killed. Most of the victims were women. Pakistan: A decade of deadly terrorist attacks 2010 - Suicide bomber targets volleyball match A suicide car bomb killed 101 people at a village volleyball game in the northwestern district of Bannu. Pakistan: A decade of deadly terrorist attacks 2010 - Lahore Massacre The May 2010 Lahore attacks also referred to as the Lahore Massacre occurred on May 28, 2010, during Friday prayers. 82 people were killed in simultaneous attacks against two mosques of the Ahmadi minority. Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attacks. Pakistan: A decade of deadly terrorist attacks 2010 – Bomber targets market in tribal area A suicide bomber killed 105 people in a busy market in the northwestern tribal district of Mohmand. The suicide bombing occurred on July 9 in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. The target of the attack was believed to be a meeting of tribal elders. Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attacks. Pakistan: A decade of deadly terrorist attacks 2011 - Police training center in Charsadda attacked A double bombing occurred on May 13, 2011, in Shabqadar Fort in the Charsadda District of northwestern Khyber Pukhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. Two suicide bombers killed at least 98 people outside the police training center. At least 140 people were injured. The explosions occurred while cadets were getting into buses for a ten day leave after their training course. Pakistan: A decade of deadly terrorist attacks 2013 - Peshawar church bombing On September 22, 2013, a twin suicide attack took place at All Saints Church in Peshawar, Pakistan. It was the deadliest attack on the Christian minority in the country, killing 82 people. The TTP-linked Islamist group, Jundalah, claimed responsibility for the attack. Pakistan: A decade of deadly terrorist attacks 2014 - Peshawar school massacre On December 16, 2014, seven gunmen affiliated with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) conducted a terrorist attack on the Army Public School in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar. The militants opened fire on school staff and children, killing 154 people, including 132 school children. This was the deadliest terrorist attack ever to occur in the country. Pakistan: A decade of deadly terrorist attacks 2015 – Gunmen target bus in Karachi Eight gunmen attacked a bus on May 13, 2015, in Safoora Goth, in Karachi, Pakistan. The shooting left at least 46 people dead. All of the victims were from the Ismaili Shia Muslim minority. Banned militant group Jundallah claimed responsibility for the shooting. Also, pamphlets supporting the Islamic State terrorist group, with whom Jundallah claims allegiance, were found at the crime scene. Pakistan: A decade of deadly terrorist attacks 2016 – Lahore park bombing On March 27, 2016, at least 75 people were killed in a suicide bombing that hit one of the largest parks in Lahore. The attack targeted Christians who were celebrating Easter. Fourteen of the dead were identified as Christians, while the rest were Muslims. The majority of victims were women and children. Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a group affiliated with the TTP, claimed responsibility for the attack. Pakistan: A decade of deadly terrorist attacks 2016 – Quetta hospital bombing On August 8, 2016, terrorists targeted the Government Hospital of Quetta in Pakistan with a suicide bombing and shooting that resulted in the death of over 70 People. The fatalities were mainly lawyers who had assembled at the hospital where the body of fellow attorney, Bilal Anwar Kasi, president of the Balochistan Bar Association, was brought after he was shot dead by an unknown gunman.

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What is the Data Darbar? Built in the 11th century, the Data Darbar is the burial site of the saint Ali Hajveri and is one of the largest Sufi shrines in South Asia. Tens of thousands of pilgrims visit the site each spring on the anniversary of the saint's death. It was hit by a suicide attack in 2010 that left over 40 people dead. Since then, it has had a heavy security presence.

Why was the shrine targeted? Sufism is a mystical form of Islam. Its followers have frequently been targeted by militants, who view rituals at the graves of Muslim saints as "un-Islamic."

rt/rc (AFP, Reuters, AP)

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