News

Two Suicide Bombings Close to Mosques in Pakistan

by Katherine Johnson

At least 41 are dead and more than 150 injured following a twin suicide bombing in Pakistan Friday. This is the deadliest attack in the country since the start of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month.

Two suicide bombers on motorcycle blew themselves up outside of Shi'ite mosques, Reuters reports. The two blasts came within minutes of each other.

"We have sent 20 critically wounded people to major hospitals in Peshawar and Kohat to save their lives," Doctor Sabir Hussein said.

Parachinar, where the attacks took place, has a large Shi'ite Muslim community, which has been targeted by Sunni militants in the past. The town is "frequently the scene of sectarian violence between Pakistan's Sunni Muslim majority and Shiite minority," according to the Hurriyet Daily News. However, it's still unclear who is responsible for the attacks.

On Wednesday, suicide gunmen and car bombers targeted a government complex, which left seven dead. Offices for Pakistan's intelligence agency were housed in the complex, leaving one intelligence agent and one government employee dead. Five attackers also died. It's still unclear who was responsible for the attack.