Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid condemned the attack on a mosque in Peshawar on Friday, saying that attacking people in places of worship has “no legitimacy.”
Mujahid turned to Twitter to say that the Taliban government in Afghanistan strongly denounced the claimed suicide attack at a Peshawar mosque.
“The attack on people and worshippers has no legitimacy,” Mujahid, who is also Afghanistan’s acting deputy culture and media minister, said.
Mujahid offered his sympathies to the victims’ families.
The Attack
Earlier today, during Friday prayers in Peshawar’s Qissa Khawani Bazaar, a suicide bomber murdered 57 people and injured over 200 others.
While speaking to journalists outside the mosque, Inspector-General of Police Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Moazzam Jah Ansari claimed that a hawaldar and a police policeman were on duty.
“The terrorist was on his own and had walked to the mosque,” he said.
“He went after the two police officers assigned to the mosque. One of them has chosen martyrdom, while the other has been injured.”
After killing the police officers, the terrorist fled to the mosque, according to Ansari.
“After entering the mosque, the terrorist opened fire on the worshippers before blowing himself up,” the IG stated, adding that roughly 150 ball bearings were discovered from the scene of the attack.
Ansari went on to say that roughly five to six kilograms of explosives were utilized in the blast, which took place in the mosque’s third row.
“The terrorist purposefully wore a black suit to conceal the explosives,” Ansari added, adding that the police had a suspicion about a terrorist group.
“We will apprehend the perpetrators as quickly as possible,” he stated.
