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SHIKARPUR: At least 13 people, including five cops, were injured as police foiled two separate suicide blasts during Eid prayers in Shikarpur's Khanpur tehsil on Tuesday.
Police sources said four suicide attackers infiltrated Khanpur during Eid prayers.
The banned Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack in an email sent by the group's spokesman Muhammad Khorasani.
Two of the attackers targeted an Eid prayer ground where one assailant blew himself up, injuring 10 people, two of whom were policemen. The other attacker fled, police sources said.
Two other attackers targeted an imambargah but were stopped by police at the entrance on account of appearing suspicious. One of the attackers blew himself up after he was stopped by guards for a search, whereas the other was arrested, police said.
Police officer Bahardin Kerio said the second attacker, a would-be suicide bomber, was shot and wounded at the scene, after which the officers arrested him.
Three police officers were wounded in the explosion. Kerio said one of the wounded officers was in critical condition.
He added that there were hundreds of worshippers inside the imambargah at the time.
Those injured in the blast have been admitted to hospitals in Shikarpur for treatment.
Initial interrogation of the arrested attacker, Usman, revealed that the would-be bomber was a resident of Swat's Qabal tehsil and had studied in Karachi's Abu Huraira seminary, police sources said.
The sources added that a person named Umer brought the attackers to the imambargah on a motorbike and fled after leaving them there.
Inspector General Police (IGP) Sindh AD Khawaja reached Shikarpur following the incident. The IGP told Dawn that the attackers hailed from Swat but were based in Karachi and possibly had links to a seminary there which are currently being investigated.
Following the incident local leaders in Shikarpur led a protest against the attack. The IGP told protesters the police would investigate the case and requested them to lift the blockade.
