news Suicide bomber kills 22 in Pakistan Shiite mosque

[rwilli1]

Suicide bomber kills 22 in Pakistan Shiite mosque



Sun Apr 5, 11:35 AM





By The Associated Press


ISLAMABAD - A suicide bomber has killed at least 22 people and wounded dozens more after an attack on a crowded Shiite mosque south of the Pakistani capital.

Police say the explosion rocked the mosque in Chakwal city in Punjab province, about 80 kilometres south of Islamabad during a religious congregation.

Mohammad Ahsan, a doctor at a nearby hospital, said more than 60 people were wounded, some of whom were in critical condition.

Police official Afsar Ali said rescue authorities were searching through the wreckage for the dead and injured.

It was unclear who carried out Sunday's attack.

Nadim Hasan Asif, a top security official in Punjab, says the bomber set off his explosives in the entrance of the mosque.

"The suspected man was stopped at the entrance and pushed himself in and exploded," Asif said.

Pakistan has been plagued by rising violence, much of it caused by Taliban militants based near Afghanistan who said recently they would step up attacks unless the U.S. stops drone missile strikes against fighters in the border region.

The country also has a history of sectarian attacks mostly carried out by Sunni militants against Shiites.

Late last month, a suicide bomber blew up in a packed mosque near the Afghan border at the climax of a Friday prayer service, killing 48 people and wounding scores more in the worst attack to hit Pakistan this year.