A suicide bomber killed 11 people in a parking lot
outside a Shia mosque today in Quetta, the provincial capital of
Pakistan's Baluchistan province. The attack is the latest to take
place at a mosque in Pakistan. The suicide bomber entered a
parking lot adjacent to the mosque and attempted to hit the
building as worshipers were leaving a service commemorating the
end of Ramadan. The bomber detonated in the parking lot after he
was unable to reach the mosque, killing 11 people, including two
women and a child. Police said the corpse of the suicide bomber
was seen in the wreckage of the car. "Remains of a badly
mutilated body were found in the car. It appears that he was not
wearing the explosives on his body but he had planted those in
the car and detonated when he could not go beyond the parking
lot," Quetta police chief Ahsan Mehboob told AFP . While no group
has claimed credit for the attack, three terror organizations
that operate in the area are the primary suspects. The al
Qaeda-linked Lashkar-e-Jhangvi is known to carry out suicide
attacks against Shia. The Pakistani Jundallah, another group
linked to al Qaeda, also conducts suicide attacks and operates in
Quetta. And the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan, which has
carried out suicide attacks throughout Pakistan, also operates in
Baluchistan. Today's suicide attack is the third in Asia to
target Muslims as they celebrated the end of Ramadan this year.
On Aug. 28, an al Qaeda in Iraq suicide bomber killed 28 people at a mosquein Baghdad. And yesterday, suicide bombers killed nine peopleas they celebrated the end of Ramadan in the Chechen capital of
Grozny. Taliban and allies target religious sites Over the past
four years, the Taliban and allied Pakistani terror groups have
shown no reservations about striking inside mosques and other
religious sites, as well as during religious processions and
events. There have been 34 major attacks on mosques and other
Islamic institutions in Pakistan since December 2007, according
to information compiled by The Long War Journal . One of the most
brazen attacks took place on Dec. 4, 2009, when a suicide assault
team stormed a mosque frequented by military officers in
Rawalpindi. Two senior generals were among the 40 people killed. Another major attack took place on July 1, 2010, when suicide
bombers struck the Data Ganj Bakhsh shrine in Lahore, killing 41 peopleand wounding more than 170. Three suicide bombers detonated their
vests at the shrine at a time when it was most frequented, in an
effort to maximize casualties. The last major attack against
religious targets took place on Aug. 19, when a suicide bomber
killed more than 40 people and wounded more than 100 in an attack
at a mosque in Pakistan's tribal agency of Khyber. Major attacks
at mosques, religious events, and Islamic institutions in
Pakistan since December 2007: Aug. 31,
2011: A suicide bomber detonated in a parked car outside a Quetta
mosque, killing 11 people. Aug. 19, 2011: More than 40 people were killed in a suicide attack at a mosque
in Jamrud in the Khyber tribal agency. April 3, 2011: The Taliban killed 41 people in a double suicide attack on a
Sufi shrine in Dera Ghazi Khan. March 4, 2011: The Taliban killed nine people in a bombing at a mosque in
Nowshera. Jan. 25, 2011: Suicide attacks that targeted Shia religious processions in
Lahore and Karachi killed 16 people. The Fedayeen-e-Islam, a
subgroup of the Pakistani Taliban, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, and
Jaish-e-Mohammed, claimed credit for the Lahore attack. Nov. 5, 2010: A suicide attack outside a mosque in Darra Adam Khel killed 50
people. Oct. 25, 2010: Five people were killed when an IED was detonated inside a
shrine in Pakpattan. Oct. 22, 2010: Five people were killed when an IED was detonated inside a
mosque in Peshawar. Oct. 7, 2010: Two suicide bombers killed eight people in a coordinated attack
on the Abdullah Shah Ghazi shrine in Karachi. Sept. 3, 2010: A suicide bomber attempted to storm a mosque in Mardan, but was
stopped by security guards. One person was killed after he
detonated his vest. Sept. 1, 2010: Suicide bombers detonated during Shia religious processions in
Lahore, killing 28 people. Aug. 23, 2010: A suicide bomber detonated at a mosque in Wana, South
Waziristan, killing 18 people. July 1, 2010: Suicide bombers detonated at the Data Ganj Bakhsh shrine in
Lahore, killing 41 people and wounding more than 170. May 28, 2010: The Punjabi Taliban assaulted two Ahamadi mosques in Lahore,
killing more than 70 people. Dec. 18, 2009: A suicide bomber detonated inside a mosque frequented by
policemen in Lower Dir, killing 12. Dec. 4, 2009: A suicide assault team stormed a mosque in Rawalpindi that is
frequented by Army officers, killing 40. Oct. 20, 2009: A pair of suicide bombers detonated their vests at Islamabad's
International Islamic University, killing five. June 12, 2009: A suicide bomber killed five Pakistanis, including anti-Taliban
cleric Dr. Sarfraz Naeemi, in an attack on a mosque in Lahore
during Friday prayers. June 12, 2009: A suicide bomber killed six worshipers and wounded more than 90
in an attack inside a mosque in Nowshera. The attack collapsed
the dome of the mosque. June 5, 2009: A suicide bomber killed 49 worshipers in an attack on a mosque
in a remote village in Dir. April 5, 2009: A suicide bomber killed 24 worshipers and wounded more than 100
in an attack outside a Shia religious center in the Chakwal
district in Punjab province. March 27, 2009: A Taliban suicide bomber killed more than 70 worshipers and
wounded more than 125 in an attack at a mosque in the Khyber
tribal agency. March 5, 2009: An attacker threw a hand grenade into the middle of a mosque in
Dera Ismail Khan, wounding 25 worshipers. March 2, 2009: A suicide bomber killed six people during an attack at a
gathering in a mosque in the Pishin district in Baluchistan. Feb. 20, 2008: A suicide bomber killed 32 Pakistanis and wounded more than 85
in an attack on a funeral procession for a Shia elder who was
murdered in Dera Ismail Khan. Feb. 5, 2009: A suicide attack outside a mosque killed more than 30 Shia
worshipers and wounded more than 50. Nov. 22, 2008: A bombing at a mosque in Hangu killed five civilians and
wounded seven. Nov. 21, 2008: A suicide attack on a funeral procession in Dera Ismail Khan
killed 10 mourners and wounded more than 25. Sept. 10, 2008: The Taliban attacked a mosque filled with Ramadan worshipers in
the district of Dir in northwestern Pakistan. More than 25
worshipers were killed and more than 50 were wounded. Aug. 19, 2008: A suicide bomber killed 29 Shia mourners and wounded 35 after
detonating in the emergency ward of a hospital. June 17, 2008: Four Pakistanis were killed and three wounded in a bombing at a
Shia mosque in Dera Ismail Khan. May 19, 2008: Four Pakistanis were killed in a bombing outside a mosque in
Bajaur. Jan. 17, 2008: A suicide bomber killed 10 and wounded 25 in an attack on a
Shia mosque in Peshawar. Dec. 28, 2007: A suicide bomber detonated in the middle of a mosque in
Charsadda in an attempt to kill former Interior Minister Aftab
Sherpao as he conducted Eid prayers. More than 50 were killed and
more than 200 were wounded. Sources: Bomber kills 11 outside mosque in Quetta, Pakistan, BBC Deadly car bomb hits Pakistan's Quetta city, Al Jazerra Car bomb blast kills 11 in Quetta, AFP
