Ten killed in Quetta during Eidul Fitr prayers

Published August 9, 2013
The shooting came a day after a suicide bomber targeted a police funeral and killed 38 people, mostly police officers, in the same city. -Photo by Reuters
The shooting came a day after a suicide bomber targeted a police funeral and killed 38 people, mostly police officers, in the same city. -Photo by Reuters

QUETTA: At least 10 people were killed and many others injured on Friday in an attack that targetted a mosque the Eidul Fitr prayers near Quetta’s eastern bypass, DawnNews reported.

The shooting came a day after a suicide bomber targeted a police funeral and killed 38 people, mostly police officers, in the same city.

“Four gunmen opened fire when people were coming out of the mosque after saying Eid prayers,” senior local police official Bashir Ahmad Brohi told AFP.

Brohi said a former Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) provincial minister, Ali Madad Jattak, was also in the mosque and could have been the target.

“But we are not sure at the moment and are investigating, “he said, adding that Jattak escaped unhurt although bullets hit his car.

Another local police official, Sultan Ahmad, confirmed the incident and casualties outside the mosque, which is also a preaching and research centre.

Nobody has so far claimed responsibility for the shooting. Most recent attacks in Quetta, the capital of oil- and gas-rich Balochistan province bordering Afghanistan and Iran, have been linked to a Baloch separatist insurgency or sectarian violence.

On Tuesday Baloch separatists shot dead 14 people including three security officials, 70 kilometres southeast of Quetta.

Opinion

Editorial

More ‘austerity’
Updated 09 Sep, 2024

More ‘austerity’

Reducing the number of federal employees will not make much difference without wide-ranging reforms to cut perks of higher bureaucracy.
Plastic menace
09 Sep, 2024

Plastic menace

South Asian countries must put aside political hostilities and work together to tackle the shared environmental threat of plastic pollution.
Paralympics feat
09 Sep, 2024

Paralympics feat

Haider Ali must be celebrated and supported for he has, on his own, given Pakistan a spot on the medals table.
Security challenges
Updated 08 Sep, 2024

Security challenges

It has been clear for a while that local populations in areas currently most affected by terrorism and militancy still do not want grand operations.
Irsa law changes
08 Sep, 2024

Irsa law changes

THE proposed controversial changes to the Irsa law, which aim to restructure the water regulator, will significantly...
Gaza polio campaign
08 Sep, 2024

Gaza polio campaign

AFTER 11 months of savage Israeli violence, Gaza’s health and sanitation systems have collapsed. As a result, the...