SUICIDE ATTACKERS armed with guns and grenades stormed a mosque near Pakistan’s army headquarters in Rawalpindi yesterday, killing at least 37 people and wounding more than 60.
At least four gunmen, wearing suicide vests, rushed into the mosque on Parade Lane when it was filled with worshippers attending Friday prayers. They opened fire with machine guns and threw grenades into the crowd of at least 150 men and women.
Eyewitnesses said some worshippers had been shot dead at close range, with women and children among the victims.
Security forces arrived and exchanged fire with the militants, at least two of whom were killed. Others were thought to have blown themselves up.
In the aftermath of the attack, soldiers searched the surrounding area for further militants.
Survivors said the mosque had been badly damaged and was covered in blood. “It was terrible. We were helpless and hopeless,” one man who cowered in a corner for 20 minutes told a local television station.
A retired officer who survived the attack said: “Their objective was to kill and be killed – and they have achieved that.
“From the terrorists’ point of view, it’s a very successful raid. One could not imagine they would enter such a high-profile target.” As helicopters buzzed over Rawalpindi and soldiers searched the area around the mosque, emergency workers reported that at least 37 people had died and 61 were injured. The toll continued to rise.
It was the latest “swarm” attack to target sensitive locations in retaliation for a six-week-old army drive into the Taliban stronghold of South Waziristan.
Rawalpindi, the centre of army power, has been a frequent target. A similar attack on a check-point outside the army headquarters in October triggered a 22-hour siege that left 23 people dead.
Militant violence had died down in recent weeks, but the lull was shattered on Wednesday when a teenage suicide bomber killed himself at the entrance to a naval complex in Islamabad.
The mosque attacked yesterday is surrounded by military houses and blocks of flats, and is frequented by large numbers of retired and serving officers.
Locals say it is heavily guarded – worshippers need "membership badges" to gain entrance – leading to speculation that the attackers had climbed over a back wall. – ( Guardianservice)