Suicide bombers target Christian Colony in Pakistan

Four suicide bombers with arms and ammunition attacked a Christian Colony in Pakistan’s Northwestern city of Peshawar. Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a breakaway Taliban faction, claimed responsibility for the attack.

The colony which houses around 30 Christian families was attacked early Friday morning. Local police official Shaukat Khan said four suicide bombers entered the Christian colony. One of them went into a church, but no one was there at the time. Police and security forces arrived at the scene after which an exchange of fire took place, resulting in the death of two terrorists whereas two attackers blew themselves up.

The spokesperson for Jamaat-ur-Ahrar faction of Taliban, Ehsanullah Ehsan said, “We have carried out the attack.” He said the attack was a response to the “Army’s spokesperson (Lt Gen Asim Bajwa’s) press conference who said yesterday that militant groups had been eliminated.

Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif issued a statement condemning the attack, saying that “these cowardly attacks cannot shatter our unflinching resolve in our war against terrorism.”

In a separate suicide bomb attack on a district court in Mardan, some 40 kilometers northeast of Peshawar, a militant killed 10 people and wounded 41 others.

Pakistan is currently at number six on the Open Doors world watch persecution list.