Islamabad imambargah attack victims to be laid to rest today
By Bilal Haider :
Funeral prayers are scheduled for Saturday for some of the victims of a suicide bombing at an imambargah in Islamabad, which claimed at least 31 lives and injured many others during Friday prayers.
The attack took place at Imambargah Qasr-i-Khadijatul Kubra on the outskirts of the city, and officials have warned that the death toll may rise.
A security source told AFP that the attacker was stopped at the mosque’s gate before detonating the explosives.
Muhammad Kazim, 52, described the blast as “extremely powerful,” occurring just as prayers were beginning.
Another worshipper, Imran Mahmood, recounted that a gunfight erupted between the bomber and volunteer security personnel at the site. “The attacker was attempting to move forward, but one of our volunteers, who was injured, shot him in the thigh,” Mahmood said. He added that the bomber then detonated the explosives.
Friday’s attack marks the deadliest incident in Islamabad since September 2008, when a suicide truck bomb killed 60 people and damaged part of the five-star Marriott Hotel.
According to sources familiar with the investigation, the suicide bomber — whose severed head was recovered at the scene — has been identified as a resident of Gunj in Peshawar’s walled city. Investigators used Pakistan’s Nadra database to confirm his identity.
Preliminary findings indicate that the attacker had links to the IS militant group and had travelled to Afghanistan multiple times. Authorities in Peshawar are assisting the investigation by questioning the bomber’s family and relatives.
Investigators are exploring all possible angles, including geo-fencing the area to identify any accomplices. Forensic teams are conducting detailed sweeps of the mosque, and CCTV footage from nearby locations has been collected to track the movements of the attacker.
A senior Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police official told Dawn that the investigation was making significant progress. Meanwhile, raids are ongoing, and several relatives of the suspected bomber have been taken into custody in Nowshera.
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