PAKISTAN Peshawar, attack on a mosque: more than 30 dead

At least 260 faithful were in the building for the midday prayer. The attack was claimed by some Pakistani Taliban (TTP) accounts. Experts foresee an increase in violence in the coming months.

Peshawar ( / Agencies) – At least 32 people have died after a suicide attack on a mosque in Peshawar, in northwestern Pakistan. According to the health authorities, so far there are more than 145 injured. It is the deadliest attack since March last year, when 58 people were killed and nearly 200 wounded in an attack later claimed responsibility for by Islamic State.

According to police officer Sikandar Khan, at least 260 people were at the mosque for midday prayers at the time of the blast, which ripped through the building, bringing part of the roof down on worshipers. The mosque is located within a complex that also houses the headquarters of the Khyber Pakhtunkhova province and an anti-terror department. Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif declared that the person responsible for the attack was in the front row during the prayer.

The Tehreek-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) are active in Peshawar and surrounding tribal areas, on the border with Afghanistan. The group aims to overthrow the Pakistani government and impose Islamic law, modeled on what happened in Afghanistan after the seizure of power by its Taliban “cousins” in August 2021.

There were several attempts to enter into peace negotiations between the government and the TTP, but all failed. Last month, a group of militiamen stormed an anti-terrorist center, capturing several hostages in exchange for various concessions from government authorities.

According to what was declared by the terrorist group itself, in 2022 more than 360 attacks were perpetrated, which represents an increase of 27% compared to the previous year. The attacks were concentrated mainly in the province of Jaiber Pakhtunjuá and caused more than 1,000 deaths and injuries. In December alone, the TTP carried out 69 attacks, in which 87 members of the security forces died and 119 were injured.

After the failure of the peace negotiations, which gave time for the group to reorganize itself, experts predict that 2023 will be an even more violent year in terms of attacks against government authorities.