August 1: The terrorist group, Islamic State in Khorasan Province (IS-K), has claimed responsibility for the suicide attack that occurred at a Jamiat Ulema Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) workers’ convention in Pakistan.
The attack resulted in the tragic deaths of 54 people, including more than 20 minors. The incident took place in the Khar area of Bajaur district.
A statement released by Amaq, the propaganda arm of IS-K, confirmed that a suicide bomber carried out the attack on Sunday. Additional Inspector General of Police Shaukat Abbas reported that at least 83 people were injured in the blast. The death toll, which includes 12 children under the age of 12, is feared to rise as the injured are being treated.
As per IANS, among the victims were JUI-F’s Khar emir Ziaullah, his information secretary Mujahid Khan, and Ziaullah’s 22-year old son. The convention began at 2 p.m. on Sunday, and the explosion occurred two hours later.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the blast involved approximately 12 kg of explosives, according to District Police Officer (DPO) Nazeer Khan.
Following the tragic incident, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa caretaker Chief Minister Mohammad Azam Khan and Peshawar Corps Commander Lt Gen Sardar Hassan Azhar Hayat Khan visited Bajaur.
Notably, last year, IS-K claimed responsibility for attacks against religious scholars affiliated with JUI-F, which maintains a network of mosques and schools. In June, they were also behind the assassination of a JUI-F official in the village of Inayat Killi.
