December 2009 Rawalpindi attack
Encyclopedia
The December 2009 Rawalpindi attack in Rawalpindi
, Pakistan
was a terrorist attack on a mosque
during Friday prayers on December 4, 2009. The mosque is located near the Pakistan Army
's headquarters in Rawalpindi, is surrounded by military houses and is frequented by retired and serving officers.
ers opened fire on and hurled grenades at the crowd of about 150 worshippers, gathered for prayers in the mosque located on Parade Lane. Security forces soon arrived on the scene to engage the terrorists; All five of the militants died by either blowing themselves up or fighting the soldiers inside the mosque. The area around the mosque was cordoned off and the security forces initiated a search for more attackers in the area. Helicopters were also used.
Approximately 37 people were killed instantly, while 61 others were injured, including women and children. The victims mostly include retired and serving officers. Eyewitnesses reported that the victims were fired upon at close range and the mosque was badly damaged in the attack. The roof of the mosque has collapsed. No group has claimed responsibility. An eyewitness reported the worshippers had to pass through "tight security", including metal detectors to enter the mosque. Senior police official Aslam Tarin suggested the attackers may have entered the mosque by scaling the mosque wall.
The attack has been speculated to be in retaliation against the Pakistan army's campaign into the Taliban stronghold of South Waziristan
. Nine officers including a major general Umer Bilal, a brigadier, two lieutenant colonels and two majors were killed in Friday's attack as well as Hashim Masood Aslam, the only son of Lt. Gen Masood Aslam
who is the commander of XI Corps (Pakistan)
. General Muhammad Yousaf former deputy head of the army under Pervez Musharraf
was injured in the attack.
claimed responsibility for the attack in an email sent to CNN and stated "We once again mention that we are not against the innocent people and the state of Pakistan but against those officers and ministers who are American by hearts and minds and Pakistani just by faces".
Pakistani Sufi
scholar Tahir-ul-Qadri
also condemned the attacks and said "Suicide attacks are not allowed in Islam, these actions are un-Islamic". He went on to say "The slaughter of human beings in any religion or country, and terrorism in all its manifestations, are totally in contradiction with the teachings of Islam." A view which is also held by mainstream (non-Sufi) Muslims and also stated in the Qur'an
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Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi , locally known as Pindi, is a city in the Pothohar region of Pakistan near Pakistan's capital city of Islamabad, in the province of Punjab. Rawalpindi is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad...
, 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...
was a terrorist attack on a mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
during Friday prayers on December 4, 2009. The mosque is located near the Pakistan Army
Pakistan Army
The Pakistan Army is the branch of the Pakistani Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. The Pakistan Army came into existence after the Partition of India and the resulting independence of Pakistan in 1947. It is currently headed by General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani. The Pakistan...
's headquarters in Rawalpindi, is surrounded by military houses and is frequented by retired and serving officers.
The attack
Five armed suicide attackSuicide attack
A suicide attack is a type of attack in which the attacker expects or intends to die in the process.- Historical :...
ers opened fire on and hurled grenades at the crowd of about 150 worshippers, gathered for prayers in the mosque located on Parade Lane. Security forces soon arrived on the scene to engage the terrorists; All five of the militants died by either blowing themselves up or fighting the soldiers inside the mosque. The area around the mosque was cordoned off and the security forces initiated a search for more attackers in the area. Helicopters were also used.
Approximately 37 people were killed instantly, while 61 others were injured, including women and children. The victims mostly include retired and serving officers. Eyewitnesses reported that the victims were fired upon at close range and the mosque was badly damaged in the attack. The roof of the mosque has collapsed. No group has claimed responsibility. An eyewitness reported the worshippers had to pass through "tight security", including metal detectors to enter the mosque. Senior police official Aslam Tarin suggested the attackers may have entered the mosque by scaling the mosque wall.
The attack has been speculated to be in retaliation against the Pakistan army's campaign into the Taliban stronghold of South Waziristan
Waziristan
Waziristan is a mountainous region near the Northwest of Pakistan, bordering Afghanistan and covering some 11,585 km² . The area is entirely populated by ethnic Pashtuns . The language spoken in the valley is Pashto/Pakhto...
. Nine officers including a major general Umer Bilal, a brigadier, two lieutenant colonels and two majors were killed in Friday's attack as well as Hashim Masood Aslam, the only son of Lt. Gen Masood Aslam
Masood Aslam
Lieutenant General Muhammad Masood Aslam, HI, HI, SJ, afwc, psc, is a retired three-star general who served as the principal commander of Pakistan Army fighting the pro-Taliban forces in the North-West Pakistan from 2007 to 2010...
who is the commander of XI Corps (Pakistan)
XI Corps (Pakistan)
The XI Corps is an active administrative corp of Pakistan Army. The XI Corps is the only one corps that is assigned in the North-West Frontier Province . It is currently stationed in Peshawar, Khyber-Pakhtaunkhuwa. The Corps was established and quickly raised in 1975 to support administrative...
. General Muhammad Yousaf former deputy head of the army under Pervez Musharraf
Pervez Musharraf
Pervez Musharraf , is a retired four-star general who served as the 13th Chief of Army Staff and tenth President of Pakistan as well as tenth Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee. Musharraf headed and led an administrative military government from October 1999 till August 2007. He ruled...
was injured in the attack.
Aftermath
Tehrik-i-Taliban PakistanTehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan
Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan , alternatively referred to as the Pakistani Taliban, is an umbrella organization of various Islamist militant groups based in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas along the Afghan border in Pakistan. Most, but not all, Pakistani Taliban groups coalesce under the TTP...
claimed responsibility for the attack in an email sent to CNN and stated "We once again mention that we are not against the innocent people and the state of Pakistan but against those officers and ministers who are American by hearts and minds and Pakistani just by faces".
Muslim and Islamic Viewpoint
After the attack, a Muslim engineering student and a friend of a victim stated, "These extremists are not Muslims, they are butchers", he further went on to say, "We need to give these people proper education, to turn them into human beings".Pakistani Sufi
Sufism
Sufism or ' is defined by its adherents as the inner, mystical dimension of Islam. A practitioner of this tradition is generally known as a '...
scholar Tahir-ul-Qadri
Tahir-ul-Qadri
Muhammad Tahir ul-Qadri is a Pakistani Sufi scholar and former professor of international constitutional law at the University of the Punjab....
also condemned the attacks and said "Suicide attacks are not allowed in Islam, these actions are un-Islamic". He went on to say "The slaughter of human beings in any religion or country, and terrorism in all its manifestations, are totally in contradiction with the teachings of Islam." A view which is also held by mainstream (non-Sufi) Muslims and also stated in the Qur'an
Qur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
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See also
- List of terrorist incidents in Pakistan since 2001