Worshippers Die In Pakistan Blast

BBC News

February 9, 2006

At least 23 people have been killed and many injured after a suspected suicide bomber attacked a religious procession in north-west Pakistan, officials say.
The explosion tore through a crowd of Shia Muslims marking the Ashura festival in the town of Hangu, sparking rioting among pilgrims.

Pakistan has a history of tension between Shia and Sunni Muslims.

Five people also died in Sunni-Shia fighting in Herat, western Afghanistan, on Thursday, doctors said.

Gunfire

The explosion in Hangu, in Pakistan's North-West Frontier Province, struck a bazaar as hundreds of people walked in a procession from the main Shia mosque in the town.

The army has sent in troops and a curfew has been imposed. No-one has claimed responsibility for the attack.

"We thought the bomb was detonated by remote control, but now it appears to be a suicide attack," local police chief Ayub Khan told the Associated Press news agency.


Police say another 22 people were taken to hospital in nearby Kohat.

Maulana Khurshid Anwar, a leader of the Shia procession, said the explosion happened just as he was about to address the crowd.

District administrator Ghani ur-Rehman said the ensuing violence destroyed 60% of the town's bazaar.

There are several reports of gunfire and possible fatalities following the blast, but the exact number of people who died is unclear.

Cleric's appeal

A judicial inquiry into the attack has been ordered, officials said.

Mr ur-Rehman said the situation had been brought under control by early afternoon, with Sunni and Shia religious leaders helping to calm the situation.

Shia cleric, Allama Mehdi Najfi, told AP from his base in Quetta in the south-west: "This attack has spread anger among our people throughout the country, but I appeal them not to clash with any member of other sects."

About 3,000 Shias protested on the streets of Karachi over the killings.

In Herat, Afghanistan, five people were killed and 27 hurt in clashes at a Shia procession for Ashura, doctors said.

Ashura marks the death of the Prophet Muhammad's grandson Imam Hussein, an event that led to the split between Shia and Sunni Muslims.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/south_asia/4695776.stm

Published: 2006/02/09 14:40:40 GMT

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