2011 Khyber Agency bombing
Encyclopedia
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.
in April 2011, including bold attacks against military targets and the destruction of naval aircraft
.
On the same day of the attacks, the United States of America's Central Intelligence Agency
's drone
s killed four people said to be "militants" in the wider tribal area.
s were used in the attack. According to Al Jazeera
the whole mosque compound collapsed with many more worshippers buried under the rubble.
The wounded were taken via ambulances for treatment to the Khyber Teaching Hospital
, Hayatabad Medical Complex
and the Lady Reading Hospital
in Peshawar.
however, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan's factions said that they do not carry out attacks on mosques.
Jamrud
Jamrud , is a town located in the Khyber Agency, one of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. The town is the doorway to the Khyber pass, part of the Hindu Kush range...
, Ghundai within the Khyber Agency
Khyber agency
Khyber is a tribal area in the FATA region of Pakistan. It is one of the eight tribal areas, better known as agencies in Pakistan. It ranges from the Tirah valley down to Peshawar...
of FATA
Fata
The FATA or FC-ATA is a type of computer hard disk drive. FATA is simply the low cost ATA or SATA disk drive equipped with a small external converter, that changes the interface to Fibre Channel...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. 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
Ramadan
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, which lasts 29 or 30 days. It is the Islamic month of fasting, in which participating Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, smoking and sex during daylight hours and is intended to teach Muslims about patience, spirituality, humility and...
when about 300-500 people were praying; at least 40 others were also wounded.
Background
Pakistan has faced a renewed insurgency since the death of Osama bin LadenDeath of Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden, then head of the Islamist militant group al-Qaeda, was killed in Pakistan on May 2, 2011, shortly after 1 a.m. local time by a United States special forces military unit....
in April 2011, including bold attacks against military targets and the destruction of naval aircraft
PNS Mehran attack
The PNS Mehran attack was a Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan attack/shooting that took place on 22 May 2011, at PNS Mehran, the headquarter of the Pakistan Navy's Naval Air Arm and the most populous Pakistani military installation, located near the PAF's Faisal Air Force Base of Karachi, Sindh...
.
On the same day of the attacks, the United States of America's Central Intelligence Agency
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
's drone
Drone
-Nature:The male sex of social Hymenopterans, such as a* Drone * male wasp* male ant-Chemicals:An abbreviation referring to one of two psychoactive drugs:* Mephedrone* 4-Methoxymethcathinone, commonly known as methedrone-Vehicles:...
s killed four people said to be "militants" in the wider tribal area.
Attack
A suicide bomber who was said to have been a teenage boy exploded his vest at a mosque in the Ghundai area of Khyber Agency. The mosque was in an area inhabited by Kokikhel tribes who have been opposed to the Taliban activities and have fought to expel them from the region. Mutahir Zeb, a regional government administrator, said that the attack could have been in retaliation and that "many of the wounded succumbed to their injuries, adding to the toll that may rise further as there are still people in critical condition." Khalid Mumtaz Kundi, the deputy chief of the district administration, said that the suicide bomber was wearing 8-10 kgs of explosives and was on foot when he exploded his vest in the prayer hall; he also said that ball bearingBall bearing
A ball bearing is a type of rolling-element bearing that uses balls to maintain the separation between the bearing races.The purpose of a ball bearing is to reduce rotational friction and support radial and axial loads. It achieves this by using at least two races to contain the balls and transmit...
s were used in the attack. According to Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera is an independent broadcaster owned by the state of Qatar through the Qatar Media Corporation and headquartered in Doha, Qatar...
the whole mosque compound collapsed with many more worshippers buried under the rubble.
The wounded were taken via ambulances for treatment to the Khyber Teaching Hospital
Khyber Teaching Hospital
Khyber Teaching Hospital is a university hospital of Khyber Medical College in the city of Peshawar, Pakistan. KTH is one of the largest hospitals in the country. It is a tertiary health care facility serving a large population of the NWFP province...
, Hayatabad Medical Complex
Hayatabad Medical Complex
The Hayatabad Medical Complex is a large medical complex and a newly built state-of-the-art hospital located in the Hayatabad suburb of Peshawar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It is the second largest hospital in the city and is also a medical postgraduate training centre equipped with modern...
and the Lady Reading Hospital
Lady Reading Hospital
The Lady Reading Hospital is located at Peshawar in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa of Pakistan. It is one of the most important Post Graduate Medical Institute in Pakistan. It is also called loye huspatal and Gernali Huspatal...
in Peshawar.
Responsibility
Though no one laid claim to the attack, the Pakistani Taliban were suspected. According to Al JazeeraAl Jazeera
Al Jazeera is an independent broadcaster owned by the state of Qatar through the Qatar Media Corporation and headquartered in Doha, Qatar...
however, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan's factions said that they do not carry out attacks on mosques.
Domestic
- PresidentPresident of PakistanThe President of Pakistan is the head of state, as well as figurehead, of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Recently passed an XVIII Amendment , Pakistan has a parliamentary democratic system of government. According to the Constitution, the President is chosen by the Electoral College to serve a...
Asif Ali ZardariAsif Ali ZardariAsif Ali Zardari is the 11th and current President of Pakistan and the Co-Chairman of the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party . He is also the widower of Benazir Bhutto, who served two nonconsecutive terms as Prime Minister....
condemned the blast and reiterated the government's stance on dealing with militants "with iron hands;" he added that all those who perpetrate such attacks are inhumane. - Prime MinisterPrime Minister of PakistanThe Prime Minister of Pakistan , is the Head of Government of Pakistan who is designated to exercise as the country's Chief Executive. By the Constitution of Pakistan, Pakistan has the parliamentary democratic system of government...
Yousaf Raza GillaniYousaf Raza GillaniYousuf Raza Gilani is the current prime minister of Islamic Republic of Pakistan. He was nominated as Prime Minister by the PPP, with the support of its coalition partners, Pakistan Muslim League , Awami National Party, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam and Muttahida Qaumi Movement, on 22 March 2008...
also expressed his condemnation and directed the provincial Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to provide the best medical care possible to victims, at the expense of the state. - Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ameer Haider Khan HotiAmeer Haider Khan HotiAmeer Haider Khan khoti is a member of the Provincial Assembly of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and current Chief Minister of the Pakistani province Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa...
condemned the blast and termed it as an unhumane and un-Islamic act in the holy month of RamadanRamadanRamadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, which lasts 29 or 30 days. It is the Islamic month of fasting, in which participating Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, smoking and sex during daylight hours and is intended to teach Muslims about patience, spirituality, humility and...
. Expressing grief over the loss of lives, he expressed solidarity with the relatives of the deceased and ordered the administration of local hospitals to ensure ready facilities for the treatment of the injured. - Imran KhanImran KhanImran Khan Niazi is a Pakistani politician and former Pakistani cricketer, playing international cricket for two decades in the late twentieth century. After retiring, he entered politics...
, chairman of the Tehreek-e-InsaafPakistan Tehreek-e-InsafThe Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf is a political party in Pakistan. PTI was founded by former Pakistani cricket captain and philanthropist Imran Khan. The party's slogan is "Justice, Humanity and Self Esteem".-Founding:...
party, condemned the blasts and attacked the government, accusing it of having badly failed in protecting the people of Pakistan. - The Jamat-e-Islami also condemned the blast, with Syed Munawar Hasan and Liaqat BalochLiaqat BalochLiaqat Baloch Bawala is a political leader in Pakistan. He is originally from Muzaffargarh, a remote area of southern Punjab....
issuing a joint statement in which they called the bombing a coward and inhumane act "by the enemies of the country and IslamIslamIslam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
." They also expressed sympathies with families who had lost their relatives and prayed for the peace of those who had been killed and injured in the bombing. - Chief Minister of SindhChief Minister of SindhThe Chief Minister of Sindh is elected by the Provincial Assembly of Sindh to serve as the head of the provincial government in Sindh, Pakistan. The current Chief Minister is Qaim Ali Shah, who belongs to Pakistan Peoples Party...
Syed Qaim Ali Shah condemned the blast and stated that "terrorists can never succeed in their attempts to destabilise the country."