2009 Jamrud mosque bombing

Last updated

27 March 2009 FATA Mosque attack
Location Jamrud, FATA, Pakistan
Date27 March 2009 (UTC+05.00)
Attack type
 Suicide bombing
Weapons Bomb
Deaths48–70 [1]
Injured100 [1]
Perpetratorsunknown

The 2009 Jamrud mosque bombing occurred on 27 March 2009, in Jamrud in the Khyber Agency of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas during Friday prayers. The local police immediately claimed a casualty count of 48 while adding that the death toll could reach as high as 70. A hundred wounded were also taken to hospital. It was reported that about 250 worshippers were present during prayer time.

Contents

Background

Jamrud (Urdu: جمرود) is a town located in the Khyber Agency, one of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. The town is of strategic importance, as the doorway to the Khyber Pass, part of the Hindu Kush range, which leads into Afghanistan. The Khyber Pass has been a principal route for resupplying NATO forces in the current Afghan theatre of conflict. In February 2009, a bridge 15 miles northwest of Peshawar was blown up by militants presumably sympathetic to or sponsored by the Taliban. [2]

The bombing of the Jamrud mosque came at a time of increased uncertainty in Pakistan following a high-profile attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team as well as more tense moments as former PM Nawaz Sharif threatened to join the lawyers' Long March to Islamabad although he had been placed under 'house arrest at his family's compound Raiwind, with the stated aim of reinstating the sacked Chief Justice Iftikhar Choudhary as promised, although this calls for a new "revolution" was also a direct response to, his being barred, along with his brother, from ever running for any government office again, and the consequent dismissal of the Punjab government led by his brother. There was also talk of an increased American drone bombing campaign into other areas of Pakistan. [3] [4]

Al Jazeera English reported that "rising violence in Pakistan's northwest [was] fueling doubts about the country's ability to counter Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters." [1] Jamrud also lies in the Khyber region, where fighters have intensified attacks on lorriescarrying supplies to NATO and US forces in Afghanistan. [1]

This attack came a day after at least 11 people were killed at a restaurant in the same northwest region in the Jandola district of South Waziristan. [5]

Follow-up

The next day a supply base for NATO troops was attacked and 12 containers were damaged. [6]

Attack

The attack occurred just after the muezzin's call to prayer. As a result of the attack the upper floor of the mosque collapsed on the worshippers below. A photo showed that three columns supporting a beam connected to the Mosque's Minarettes at either side of the structure was all that remained of the Mosque. [7]

Responsibility

Though there was no immediate claim of responsibility, other details have raised speculation. The mosque is near a police checkpoint where "people in that checkpoint usually pray in this mosque"; there were rumours that suggested foreign hands were responsible. A tribal policeman also made an early claim that pro-Taliban fighters were guilty of carrying out the bombing after a recent offensive aimed in part at protecting a supply route for NATO and US troops operating in Afghanistan. He said that "Residents of this area had co-operated and helped us a lot. These infidels had warned that they will take revenge. They are the enemy of Pakistan. They are the enemy of Islam." [1]

A report said a commander of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan's Khyber Agency chapter had warned through the media of attacks if the security forces did not vacate the Frontier Corps checkposts in Jamrud and Landikotal by 20 February. Khassadars at the village of Bagyari (the site of the blast) told reporters that a Taliban commander Nazeer Afridi from the Sepah tribe in Bara had issued the warning through letters, saying they would not allow the Peshawar-Torkham route to be used by vehicles carrying supplies for Nato forces in Afghanistan. Afghanistan-bound Nato convoys and truck terminals in Peshawar and Khyber Agency have been attacked in recent months. [8]

Reaction

Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani "strongly condemned the suicide attack" while vowing that the perpetrators would be brought to justice. [1] Asfandyar Wali Khan was quoted as saying 'The bomber and his operatives have once again demonstrated that this is not a war for Islam and Shariah, this is not jihad, but war against humanity.' [9]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taliban insurgency</span> Insurgency during the War in Afghanistan

The Taliban insurgency began after the group's fall from power during the 2001 War in Afghanistan. The Taliban forces fought against the Afghan government, led by President Hamid Karzai, and later by President Ashraf Ghani, and against a US-led coalition of forces that has included all members of NATO; the 2021 Taliban offensive resulted in the collapse of the government of Ashraf Ghani. The private sector in Pakistan extends financial aid to the Taliban, contributing to their financial sustenance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa</span> Armed conflict involving Pakistan and armed militant groups

The insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, also known as the War in North-West Pakistan or Pakistan's war on terror, is an ongoing armed conflict involving Pakistan and Islamist militant groups such as the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Jundallah, Lashkar-e-Islam (LeI), TNSM, al-Qaeda, and their Central Asian allies such as the ISIL–Khorasan (ISIL), Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, East Turkistan Movement, Emirate of Caucasus, and elements of organized crime. Formerly a war, it is now a low-level insurgency as of 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lashkar-e-Islam</span> Islamist terrorist organization in Pakistan

Lashkar-e-Islam, also written as Laskhar-i-Islam, is a Deobandi jihadist terrorist group operating in Khyber District, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province, Pakistan and the neighboring Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pakistani Taliban</span> Islamist militant organization operating along the Durand Line

The Pakistani Taliban, formally called the Tehreek-e-Taliban-e-Pakistan, is an umbrella organization of various Islamist armed militant groups operating along the Afghan–Pakistani border. Formed in 2007 by Baitullah Mehsud, its current leader is Noor Wali Mehsud, who has publicly pledged allegiance to the Afghan Taliban. The Pakistani Taliban share a common ideology with the Afghan Taliban and have assisted them in the 2001–2021 war, but the two groups have separate operation and command structures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khyber Pass</span> Historically significant mountain pass in present-day Pakistan

The Khyber Pass is a mountain pass in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, on the border with the Nangarhar Province of Afghanistan. It connects the town of Landi Kotal to the Valley of Peshawar at Jamrud by traversing part of the White Mountains. Since it was part of the ancient Silk Road, it has been a vital trade route between Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent and a strategic military choke point for various states that controlled it. The Khyber Pass is considered one of the most famous mountain passes in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abdullah Azzam Brigades</span> Islamist militant group

The Abdullah Azzam Brigades, or al-Qaeda in Lebanon, is a Sunni Islamist militant group, and al-Qaeda's branch in Lebanon. The group, which began operating in 2009, was founded by Saudi Saleh Al-Qaraawi and has networks in various countries, mainly in Egypt, Iraq, Syria, Jordan, the Gaza Strip and Lebanon.

The June 2011 Peshawar bombings occurred on 12 June 2011 in Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. At least 34 people were killed, and more than 90 were injured, when two bombs exploded in a market around midnight. Three people were hurt when the first bomb exploded at 11:50 p.m. local time in the commercial and residential area of Khyber market. After a crowd gathered in the area, a teen-aged suicide bomber on a motorcycle set off a second explosion, killing many people on the spot. About 10 kilograms (22 lb) of explosives were used in the second blast according to officials. Police and rescue teams soon reached the spot and cordoned the area.

The August 2011 Khyber Agency bombing occurred on 19 August 2011 in Jamrud, Ghundai within the Khyber Agency of FATA, Pakistan. At least 48 people were reported to have died after a suicide bomber exploded his vest at a mosque during Friday prayers in the month of Ramadan when about 300-500 people were praying; at least 40 others were also wounded.

This is a list of terrorist attacks in Pakistan in the calendar year 2011.

These are the list of Terrorist attacks in Pakistan in 2010.

In 2008, Pakistan saw 40 terrorist attacks, which caused 154 fatalities and 256 injuries.

In 2009, Pakistan suffered 50 terrorist, insurgent and sectarian-related incidents that killed 180 people and injured 300.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 Khyber Agency bombing</span> 2012 terror attack in northwest Pakistan

The 2012 Khyber Agency bombing occurred on 10 January 2012, when a bomb exploded near a petrol pump in the town of Jamrud near the Afghan border in Khyber Agency of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) of Pakistan. The bombing killed at least 30 people while 78 others were injured.

This is a list of terrorist incidents in Pakistan in 2012. Pakistan has faced numerous attacks by insurgents as a result of the ongoing War in North-West Pakistan by the Pakistani military against militant groups, part of the War on Terror. At the same time, there have also been numerous drone attacks in Pakistan carried out by the United States which exclusively target members of militant groups along the Afghan border regions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jamaat-ul-Ahrar</span> Organization

Jamaat-ul-Ahrar was a terrorist organization that split away from Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan in August 2014. The group came to prominence after it claimed responsibility for the 2014 Wagah border suicide attack. In August 2020, it merged back to TTP.

This is a list of terrorist incidents in Pakistan in 2016. Pakistan was the 10th most dangerous country by criminality index in 2016.

Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad is a codename of a combined military operation by the Pakistani military in support of local law enforcement agencies to disarm and eliminate the terrorist sleeper cells across all states of Pakistan, started on 22 February 2017. The operation is aimed to eliminate the threat of terrorism, and consolidating the gains of Operation Zarb-e-Azb which was launched in 2014 as a joint military offensive. It is further aimed at ensuring the security of Pakistan's borders. The operation is ongoing active participation from Pakistan Army, Pakistan Air Force, Pakistan Navy, Pakistan Police and other Warfare and Civil Armed Forces managed under the Government of Pakistan. More than 375,000 operations have been carried out against terrorists so far. This operation has been mostly acknowledged after Operation Zarb e Azb.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islamic State–Taliban conflict</span> 2015–present armed conflict in Afghanistan

The Islamic State–Taliban conflict is an ongoing armed conflict between the Islamic State Khorasan Province (IS-KP) and the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. The conflict initially began when both operated as insurgent groups in Nangarhar; since the creation of the Taliban's emirate in 2021, IS-KP have targeted and assassinated Taliban members using hit-and-run tactics. The group have also caused incidents and attacks across the border in Pakistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Peshawar mosque attack</span> Terrorist attack in Pakistan

On 4 March 2022, the Islamic State – Khorasan Province attacked a Shia mosque at Qissa Khwani Bazaar in Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The suicide attack, carried out by an Afghan man who was a long-term resident of Pakistan, killed at least 63 people and injured another 196. The Islamist terror group Islamic State – Khorasan Province claimed responsibility for the attack.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Deadly blast in Pakistan mosque". Al Jazeera. 27 March 2009. Archived from the original on 28 March 2009. Retrieved 27 March 2009.
  2. ↑ Ben Farmer (3 February 2009). "Khyber Pass bridge used by Nato is blown up by militants". The Daily Telegraph. Kabul. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
  3. ↑ "Raisani warns US against drone attacks in Balochistan". Daily Times. Pakistan. 27 March 2009. Retrieved 27 March 2009.
  4. ↑ "US seeks to expand covert war in Pakistan". Al Jazeera. 27 March 2009. Archived from the original on 27 March 2009. Retrieved 27 March 2009.
  5. ↑ "Many dead in Pakistan suicide blast". Al Jazeera. 27 March 2009. Archived from the original on 27 March 2009. Retrieved 27 March 2009.
  6. ↑ "Nato terminal attacked in Pakistan", Al Jazeera (28 March 2009)
  7. ↑ Dawn News, E-Paper, Pakistan, 48 killed, 170 injured Suicide blast at Friday prayers, retrieved 28 March 2009
  8. ↑ Daud Khattak; Nasrullah Afridi (28 March 2009). "76 killed in Jamrud mosque bombing". The News International Pakistan. Archived from the original on 7 June 2009. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
  9. ↑ "70 dead as suicide bomber attacks mosque in Pak". The Tribune . 28 March 2009. Archived from the original on 1 May 2009. Retrieved 28 March 2009.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.