The Islamic State (IS) group has claimed responsibility for a devastating suicide bombing that tore through a Shiite mosque on the outskirts of Pakistan’s capital during Friday prayers, killing at least 31 people and wounding 169 others.
The attack at the Imam Bargah Qasr-e-Khadijatul Kubra mosque marks the deadliest incident in Islamabad since the 2008 Marriott Hotel bombing, shattering a period of relative calm in the capital and raising fears of renewed sectarian violence.
Attack Details and Survivor Accounts
The explosion occurred on February 6, 2026, as the mosque was packed with worshippers for the weekly congregational prayers. Witnesses described a chaotic scene where volunteer security guards attempted to intercept the attacker before he detonated his vest.
“The attacker was stopped at the gate,” a security source confirmed.
Imran Mahmood, a worshipper present during the attack, recounted a gunfight between the bomber and security volunteers. “The suicide attacker was trying to move forward, but one of our injured volunteers fired at him from behind, hitting him in the thigh,” Mahmood said. Moments later, the assailant detonated the explosives.
Muhammad Kazim, 52, described the blast as “extremely powerful,” noting it occurred just as prayers were commencing.
Government Response
Pakistani officials have condemned the attack in the strongest terms. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif vowed that the perpetrators would be tracked down and brought to justice.
Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar denounced the bombing as “a heinous crime against humanity and a blatant violation of Islamic principles.”
Funerals for many of the victims are scheduled to take place on Saturday, as hospital officials warn the death toll could climb given the critical condition of many wounded.
Context: Sectarian Violence and Regional Instability
The bombing highlights the persistent threat of sectarian violence in Pakistan, a Sunni-majority nation where Shiite Muslims constitute roughly 10% to 15% of the population. Shiite communities have frequently been targeted by Sunni extremist groups, including IS and factions of the Pakistani Taliban, who view them as apostates.
While the Islamic State group has lost its territorial “caliphate” in Iraq and Syria, it retains a lethal presence in the region, particularly in Afghanistan and Pakistan (Islamic State – Khorasan Province, or ISIS-K). Analysts note that while regional IS affiliates share an ideology, they often operate with tactical autonomy.
This attack occurs against a backdrop of deteriorating security in Pakistan:
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Balochistan Insurgency: Just last week, separatist attacks in the southern province of Balochistan killed 36 civilians and 22 security personnel. Government counter-operations reportedly killed nearly 200 militants in response.
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Rising Tensions: Islamabad had seen relative stability recently. The last significant attack in the capital was in November, where a suicide blast outside a court killed 12 people.
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Historical Comparison: Friday’s carnage is the worst in Islamabad since September 2008, when a massive truck bomb at the Marriott Hotel killed 60 people.
As Pakistan’s security forces battle intensifying insurgencies along the borders with Afghanistan, this strike in the heart of the capital underscores the widening reach of militant networks and the vulnerability of soft targets like places of worship.
