At least 12 people died and 27 were injured in front of a court of Islamabadthe capital of Pakistanfor a suicide attack claimed by the Taliban Pakistanis at a time of high tensions with Afghanistanthe neighboring country.
The attack, the first of its kind in the city in years, caused panic among the population and occurred in an area known for its government offices.
“There has been a suicide attack in the Kachehri“, the district court, declared the Minister of the Interior, Mohsin Naqviat the scene of the incident. “So far there are 12 people dead and around 27 injured,” he explained.
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According to the Minister of the Interior, the perpetrator detonated explosives near a police vehicle.
Pakistani Taliban movement claimed responsibility for attack in Pakistan
He Pakistani Taliban movement (TTP) later claimed responsibility for the attack. “This Tuesday, one of our members attacked a court in Islamabad,” the group said in a statement.
He TTP It is an armed formation that claims to have the same ideology as the Kabul Taliban and which regularly attacks Pakistani security forces.
“Attacks will be carried out against those who pass sentences based on non-Islamic laws, those who apply them and those who protect them, until the ‘sharia‘ prevails throughout the country,” added the group.
“Everyone started running inside in terror. I saw at least five bodies lying at the front door,” declared the lawyer. Mohammed Shahzad Butt to the AFP.
Another lawyer, Rustam Malikindicated that he heard “a loud bang at the door” when he entered the complex. “I saw two bodies lying at the door and several vehicles on fire,” he added.
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The attack raises fears of escalation between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Both countries agreed to a fragile ceasefire in mid-October after the most serious clashes in recent years on their border.