Dozens killed in Pakistani Sufi shrine blast claimed by IS
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 12 November 2016 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Dozens killed in Pakistani Sufi shrine blast claimed by IS, 12 November 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5975a23a11.html [accessed 4 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
November 12, 2016
A woman is wheeled from an ambulance after the explosion at the Shah Noorani Shrine in Baluchistan.
Officials say a bomb blast at a Sufi shrine in southwestern Pakistan has killed at least 50 and wounded more than 100.
The Islamic State (IS) extremist group has claimed responsibility for the deadly attack.
Mir Sarfaraz Ahmed Bugti, the home minister in Pakistan's Balochistan region where the explosion occurred, told reporters the November 12 blast took place at the Shah Noorani shrine about 100 kilometers north of the port city of Karachi.
Many of those wounded were taken to Karachi hospitals.
The IS group said in a statement on its Amaq news agency that it's followers had carried out the attack.
Hundreds of people were inside the shrine at the time for a ritual dancem cakked dhamaal, that takes place every day at sunset. He said many women and children were believed to have been killed in the incident.
The Balochistan region has seen some of the worst militant attacks this year in Pakistan.
Sufism is a branch of Islam that espouses a mystical, inner belief and incorporates music in its worship. It has been rejected as heretical by IS fighters and other extremists who hold a fundamentalist view of Islam.
Earlier this year, prominent singer Amjad Sabri was killed in Karachi, shot by gunmen believed to have targeted him for his Sufi beliefs.
Based on reporting by RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal, Reuters, and AP
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
