Several injured in blast at Lal Shahbaz Qalandar’s shrine in Sehwan</s>ISLAMABAD, Feb 16 (APP): President Mamnoon Hussain on Thursday strongly condemned the terrorist attack on the shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar in Sehwan Sharif.

 The President in a message conveyed his condolences to the bereaved families and commiserated with them.

 He said, “Terrorists and their patrons should stop playing with human lives.”

 The President said the operation against terrorists would continue across the country and the protection of life and property of people would be ensured.

 He said the innocent people would not be left alone and every drop of the martyrs’ blood would be accounted for.

 The President directed the authorities concerned to ensure provision of every possible assistance to all those injured and affected by the attack.</s>The Pakistani army on Friday arrested or killed dozens of suspected militants and launched artillery rounds at targets in neighboring Afghanistan a day after a suicide bombing at a Sufi shrine killed at least 88 people.

Residents in Pakistan’s Khyber tribal district said security forces fired barrages into Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province, where militants loyal to Islamic State have often found sanctuary.

An Islamic State affiliate claimed responsibility for the bombing Thursday at a shrine to Lal Shahbaz Qalandar, a 13th century Sufi preacher, in southern Pakistan’s Sindh province. Health Ministry officials raised the death toll to 88 people, with approximately 350 wounded, dozens critically.

Security officials said they had killed 44 suspected militants in security operations across the country. Eighteen were killed in the southern port city of Karachi, which lies 100 miles from the shrine.

Pakistani officials have played down the claim by Islamic State loyalists, saying only that the attack came from militants based in Afghanistan. Pakistan closed its border with Afghanistan late Thursday, causing long lines of loaded vehicles at two key highway crossings.

Afghan diplomats were summoned to army headquarters in the city of Rawalpindi and given a list of 76 militants “hiding” in Afghanistan that Pakistan wanted arrested and handed over, officials said.

Each country has long accused the other of giving shelter to militants that roam across their rugged, porous border.

The golden-domed shrine remained closed Friday as mourners filled the narrow streets of the town of Sehwan Sharif for funeral processions. Some bereaved family members and other residents chanted slogans against the government for failing to protect the shrine, with one group setting fire to a car before police dispersed the crowd with tear gas, Pakistani news agencies reported.

Islamic State loyalists who claim to be part of the South Asia branch of the militant organization have taken shelter in Nangarhar and elsewhere in eastern Afghanistan. U.S. and Afghan forces have been battling to oust the Sunni Muslim militants for more than a year, including with increased U.S. airstrikes.

Islamic State’s Amaq news agency said the bombing targeted “a Shiite gathering,” although Muslims of all faiths attended the shrine. The Sufi tradition, which emphasizes a personal connection to Islam, has millions of followers across the Muslim world but often has been targeted by Sunni fundamentalist groups.

After a period of relative calm, Thursday’s bombing was the third major attack in Pakistan in less than a week, coming after separate suicide bombings in the eastern city of Lahore and the northern city of Peshawar killed a total of 19 people.

Special correspondent Ali reported from Peshawar, and staff writer Bengali from Mumbai, India.

Follow @SBengali on Twitter for more news from South Asia</s>Pakistani forces killed and arrested dozens of suspects in sweeping raids as the death toll from a massive suicide bombing by the Islamic State group that targeted a famed Sufi shrine the day before rose to 88 on Friday.

The terror attack — Pakistan's deadliest in years — stunned the nation and raised questions about the authorities' ability to rein in militant groups despite several military offensives targeting militant hideouts.

It also threatened to drive a deeper wedge between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Islamabad quickly lashed out at Kabul, saying the bombing was masterminded in militant sanctuaries across the border in Afghanistan.

Underscoring tensions, Pakistan fired a blistering round of artillery shells into Afghan territory on Friday and shut down the Torkham border crossing, a key commercial artery between the two neighbors.

Afghan police chief Gul Agha Roohani in eastern Nangarhar province told The Associated Press the artillery assault began on Friday morning, although there was no immediate confirmation from Pakistan.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani condemned the shrine attack. "Sufis always preach peace and brotherhood among people," he said in a statement, adding added that "terrorists once again proved that they have no respect for Islamic values."

Meanwhile, raids overnight across Pakistan targeted militant hideouts and led to shootouts with insurgents that left at least 39 suspects dead, according to three Pakistani security officials who spoke on condition of anonymity under regulations.

Most of the operations were carried out by the paramilitary Rangers. In one raid, troops killed 11 suspects at a militant hideout in the port city of Karachi. In another, the Rangers came under fire as they were returning from Sehwan, the town in southern Sindh province where the shrine bombing took place, and killed seven of the attackers.

Other raids took place in northwestern Pakistan and also in the eastern province of Punjab. The officials said a total of 47 suspects were arrested.

In Thursday's attack, the suicide bomber walked into the main hall at the Lal Shahbaz Qalandar shrine in Sehwan, and detonated his explosives among a crowd of worshippers, initially killing 75. At least 20 women and nine children were among the dead.

On Friday, authorities raised the death toll to 88 after some of the critically wounded died. The Sindh provincial health department said a total of 343 people were wounded in the attack but that most were discharged after treatment while 76 still remain in hospitals.

The Islamic State group, claiming responsibility for the attack in a statement circulated by its Aamaq news agency, said it targeted a "Shiite gathering." The Sunni extremist group views Shiites as apostates and has targeted Pakistan's Shiite minority in the past. It also views Sufi shrines as a form of idolatry.

The Sehwan shrine, which reveres a Muslim Sufi mystic, is frequented by the faithful of many sects of Islam but the majority of the worshippers are usually Shiite Muslims.

Raja Somro, who witnessed the attack, told a local TV network that hundreds of people were performing a spiritual dance known as the "dhamal" when the bomber struck.

Local TV showed graphic footage of the aftermath of the blast, with wounded worshippers crying out for help and the floors covered with shoes, blood and body parts. Women cried and beat their chests in grief.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif vowed that security forces would track down the perpetrators, according to Pakistani state TV.

"Each drop of the nation's blood shall be avenged, and avenged immediately," Pakistan's army chief, Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa, said in a statement.

The U.S. State Department condemned the attack and offered its support to Pakistan in bringing the perpetrators to justice.

The attack was the deadliest in Pakistan after the Dec. 16, 2014 assault on an army-run school in Peshawar that killed 154 people, mostly schoolchildren. A Taliban-linked group, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, claimed responsibility for that attack.

Pakistan has been at war with the Taliban and other extremist groups for more than a decade. In recent years it has launched major offensives against militant strongholds in the tribal regions along the border with Afghanistan, but insurgents have continued to carry out attacks elsewhere in the country.

The Islamic State group has been expanding its presence in Pakistan in recent years and has claimed a number of deadly attacks, including a suicide bombing at another Sufi shrine in November 2016 that killed more than 50 people.

The government has downplayed the IS affiliate, insisting that only a small number of militants have pledged allegiance to the group.

Afghanistan and Pakistan have long accused each other of failing to crack down on militants who operate along the porous border.

Also Friday, the Pakistani military handed over to Kabul a list of 76 suspected "terrorists" allegedly hiding in Afghanistan, demanding they be captured and extradited to Islamabad. A statement from the military says the list was given to Afghan officials at the Pakistani army's sprawling headquarters in the garrison city of Rawalpindi.

The military did not specify who was on the list, but it has long claimed that the head of Pakistani Taliban, Mullah Fazlullah, and other militants are hiding on Afghan soil with the purpose of fomenting violence inside Pakistan.

In Sehwan, police fired tear gas on Friday and swung batons to disperse a rally of several hundred protesters who demanded justice for the victims and better security measures from the government. The crowd set fire to a car before the police broke up the rally.

At one of the funerals that got underway Friday, relatives consoled the wailing mother of Zeeshan Ali, a 13-year-old who died in the shrine blast. Ali's uncle, Shoukat Ali, said he was devoted to his nephew and raised him since he had no children of his own.

"I raised him like my own child ... and they took him from me," he said.</s>SEHWAN, Pakistan — Pakistani forces killed and arrested dozens of suspects in raids overnight into Friday, a day after a suicide bombing killed 80 worshipers at a Sufi shrine.

The terrorist attack — Pakistan’s deadliest in years — raised questions about the authorities’ ability to rein in militant groups despite military offensives against them.

The raids targeted militant hideouts. Shootouts left at least 39 suspects dead across Pakistan, according to three security officials who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

In one raid, the troops killed 11 people at a militant hideout in the port city of Karachi. In another, paramilitary Rangers came under fire as they returned from Sehwan, a town in southern Sindh province where the bombing took place, and killed seven of the attackers.

Other raids took place in northwestern Pakistan and the eastern province of Punjab. Officials said a total of 47 suspects were arrested.

In Thursday’s attack, the suicide bomber walked into the Lal Shahbaz Qalandar shrine in Sehwan, and detonated his explosives, killing 80 people. At least 20 women and nine children were among the dead. Scores of people were wounded.

“We were there for the love of our saint, for the worship of Allah,” a wailing woman told the Dawn News television channel outside the shrine. “Who would hurt us when we were there for devotion?”

The white marble floor was still marked by blood on Friday, and a pile of abandoned shoes and slippers was heaped in the courtyard, many of them belonging to victims.

ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it had targeted a “Shiite gathering.” The Sunni extremist group views Shiites as apostates and has targeted Pakistan’s Shiite minority in the past. It views Sufi shrines like the one targeted Thursday as a form of idolatry.

The blood-stained floor at the Lal Shahbaz Qalandar on Friday. ASIF HASSAN / AFP – Getty Images

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif vowed that security forces would track down the perpetrators of the attack, according to Pakistani state TV.

“Each drop of the nation’s blood shall be avenged, and avenged immediately,” Pakistan’s army chief, Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa, said in a statement. “No more restraint for anyone.”

A wave of bombings over five days has hit all four of Pakistan’s provinces and two major cities, killing nearly 100 people and shaking a nascent sense that the worst of the country’s militant violence may be in the past.

Most of the other attacks have been claimed by factions of the Pakistani Taliban, which is waging its own fight against the Pakistani government but whose ranks have also cooperated with and sometimes defected to ISIS.

Thursday’s attack was the deadliest in Pakistan following the Dec. 16, 2014 assault on an army-run school in Peshawar that killed 154 people, mostly schoolchildren.</s>Military's claim follows deadliest attack in more than two years in country, targeting Sufis in Sehwan Sharif in Sindh.

Pakistan's army has killed more than 100 "terrorists" in less than 24 hours following a suicide blast at a Sufi shrine, the deadliest attack in the country in more than two years.

The killings, announced by the military's media office, come amid calls for more security in the country following a string of recent attacks.

In a statement released on Friday, the military said: "Over 100 terrorists have been killed since last night and sizeable apprehensions also made."

A day earlier, at least 88 people were killed and hundreds were injured when a suicide attacker targeted Sufis as they performed a devotional ritual at the famous Lal Shahbaz Qalandar shrine in Sehwan, a town in the southern Sindh province.

"Army is for security," the military statement said. "We shall not let the hostile agenda succeed whatever it may cost."

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) claimed responsibility for Thursday's attack in Sehwan.

Earlier, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said in a statement: "It is time for us to unite and fight the radicals, wherever they may be ... I direct and authorise my armed forces and law enforcement agencies to eliminate the enemy."

Following the attack, Pakistan closed two border crossings with Afghanistan.

Pakistan has repeatedly blamed Afghanistan for giving safe haven to fighters on its side of the border.</s>SEHWAN: Pakistani forces killed and arrested dozens of suspects in sweeping raids as the death toll from a massive suicide bombing by the Islamic State group that targeted a famed Sufi shrine the day before rose to 88 yesterday.

The terror attack – Pakistan’s deadliest in years – stunned the nation and raised questions about the authorities’ ability to rein in militant groups despite several military offensives targeting militant hideouts. It also threatened to drive a deeper wedge between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Islamabad quickly lashed out at Kabul, saying the bombing was masterminded in militant sanctuaries across the border in Afghanistan.

Underscoring tensions, Pakistan fired a blistering round of artillery shells into Afghan territory yesterday and shut down the Torkham border crossing, a key commercial artery between the two neighbors. Afghan police chief Gul Agha Roohani in eastern Nangarhar province told The Associated Press the artillery assault began on Friday morning, although there was no immediate confirmation from Pakistan. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani condemned the shrine attack. “Sufis always preach peace and brotherhood among people,” he said in a statement, adding added that “terrorists once again proved that they have no respect for Islamic values.”

Militant holdouts

 Meanwhile, raids overnight across Pakistan targeted militant hideouts and led to shootouts with insurgents that left at least 39 suspects dead, according to three Pakistani security officials who spoke on condition of anonymity under regulations. Most of the operations were carried out by the paramilitary Rangers.

In one raid, troops killed 11 suspects at a militant hideout in the port city of Karachi. In another, the Rangers came under fire as they were returning from Sehwan, the town in southern Sindh province where the shrine bombing took place, and killed seven of the attackers. Other raids took place in northwestern Pakistan and also in the eastern province of Punjab. The officials said a total of 47 suspects were arrested.

In Thursday’s attack, the suicide bomber walked into the main hall at the Lal Shahbaz Qalandar shrine in Sehwan, and detonated his explosives among a crowd of worshippers, initially killing 75. At least 20 women and nine children were among the dead. On Friday, authorities raised the death toll to 88 after some of the critically wounded died. The Sindh provincial health department said a total of 343 people were wounded in the attack but that most were discharged after treatment while 76 still remain in hospitals.

The Islamic State group, claiming responsibility for the attack in a statement circulated by its Aamaq news agency, said it targeted a “Shiite gathering.” The Sunni extremist group views Shiites as apostates and has targeted Pakistan’s Shiite minority in the past. It also views Sufi shrines as a form of idolatry. The Sehwan shrine, which reveres a Muslim Sufi mystic, is frequented by the faithful of many sects of Islam but the majority of the worshippers are usually Shiite Muslims.

Raja Somro, who witnessed the attack, told a local TV network that hundreds of people were performing a spiritual dance known as the “dhamal” when the bomber struck. Local TV showed graphic footage of the aftermath of the blast, with wounded worshippers crying out for help and the floors covered with shoes, blood and body parts. Women cried and beat their chests in grief.

‘Avenged immediately

 Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif vowed that security forces would track down the perpetrators, according to Pakistani state TV. “Each drop of the nation’s blood shall be avenged, and avenged immediately,” Pakistan’s army chief, Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa, said in a statement. The US State Department condemned the attack and offered its support to Pakistan in bringing the perpetrators to justice.

The attack was the deadliest in Pakistan after the Dec 16, 2014 assault on an army-run school in Peshawar that killed 154 people, mostly schoolchildren. A Taleban-linked group, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, claimed responsibility for that attack. Pakistan has been at war with the Taliban and other extremist groups for more than a decade. In recent years it has launched major offensives against militant strongholds in the tribal regions along the border with Afghanistan, but insurgents have continued to carry out attacks elsewhere in the country.

The Islamic State group has been expanding its presence in Pakistan in recent years and has claimed a number of deadly attacks, including a suicide bombing at another Sufi shrine in November 2016 that killed more than 50 people. The government has downplayed the IS affiliate, insisting that only a small number of militants have pledged allegiance to the group. Afghanistan and Pakistan have long accused each other of failing to crack down on militants who operate along the porous border. – AP</s>At least 39 suspected militants have been killed in Pakistan on Friday (17 February) in a raid following the powerful bomb attack that ripped through a Sufi shrine on Thursday. The blast killed over 70 people and wounded several others.

Hundreds of worshippers were reportedly present at the shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar – a Sufi saint– during the attack. The shrine is located in the city of Sehwan.

According to Pakistani officials, security forces killed the suspects following a countrywide raid that led to the arrest of another 47 suspects, including some in Sindh Province.

The overnight search operation targeted militant hideouts and led to shootouts with insurgents, the officials added on condition of anonymity due to security reasons.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Army has asked Afghanistan to hand over around 76 terrorists hiding in Kabul, Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Friday.

The head of the military's media wing DG ISPR Major-General Asif Ghafoor called Afghan Embassy officials to General Headquarters and gave them the list of terrorists hiding in Afghanistan.

Ghafoor added that he has asked them "to take immediate action/be handed over to Pakistan".

Islamabad has also shut the border crossing with Afghanistan for an indefinite period after the attack. The country has directly blamed the extremist "sanctuaries in Afghanistan" for the devastating bomb attack.

Pakistan has been struggling with a number of Islamist onslaughts over the last few days. Previous attacks targeted areas in Lahore, Quetta and Mohmand Agency, with the latest one in Sehwan being claimed by the dreaded Islamic State (Isis), which said it targeted a Shiite gathering.</s>Pakistan's army has killed more than 100 "terrorists" in less than 24 hours following a suicide blast at a Sufi shrine, the deadliest attack in the country in more than two years.

The killings, announced by the military's media office, come amid calls for more security in the country following a string of recent attacks.

In a statement released on Friday, the military said: "Over 100 terrorists have been killed since last night and sizeable apprehensions also made."

A day earlier, at least 88 people were killed and hundreds were injured when a suicide attacker targeted Sufis as they performed a devotional ritual at the famous Lal Shahbaz Qalandar shrine in Sehwan, a town in the southern Sindh province.

READ MORE: Pakistan mourns attack victims as security stepped up

"Army is for security," the military statement said. "We shall not let the hostile agenda succeed whatever it may cost."

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) claimed responsibility for Thursday's attack in Sehwan.

Earlier, Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan's prime minister, said in a statement: "It is time for us to unite and fight the radicals, wherever they may be ... I direct and authorise my armed forces and law enforcement agencies to eliminate the enemy."

Afghanistan blame

Following the Sehwan Sharif attack, Pakistan closed two border crossings with Afghanistan.

Pakistan has repeatedly blamed Afghanistan for giving safe haven to fighters on its side of the border.

"It doesn't help anybody to fixate on the problem of Afghanistan as being the only problem that we face," Mosharraf Zaidi, a former adviser to Pakistan's foreign ministry, told Al Jazeera.

"While there are groups that use Afghan safe havens, the core of problem Pakistan faces today is inside Pakistan."

Zaidi said the "network of terrorists exists in this country" and the "solution is also inside Pakistan".

Thursday's attack came after one of the bloodiest weeks in recent memory in Pakistan, with more than 100 people killed in a series of attacks since Monday, the majority of which were claimed by the Pakistani Taliban or one of its factions.

On Monday, 13 people were killed in a suicide bombing at a rally in the eastern city of Lahore.

That attack was followed on Wednesday by a suicide bombing at a government office in the Mohmand tribal area and a suicide attack on government employees in Peshawar, killing six people.

Two police officers were killed on Tuesday while trying to defuse a bomb in the Balochistan provincial capital, Quetta.</s>Pakistani forces have killed and arrested dozens of suspects in sweeping raids as the death toll from a massive suicide bombing by Islamic State that targeted a famed shrine rose to 88.

Pakistan's deadliest terror attack in years stunned the nation and raised questions about authorities' ability to rein in militant groups despite several military offensives.

It also threatened to drive a deeper wedge between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Islamabad quickly lashed out at Kabul, saying the bombing was masterminded in militant sanctuaries across the border in Afghanistan.

Pakistan also fired a round of artillery shells into Afghan territory on Friday and shut down the Torkham border crossing, a key commercial artery between the two neighbours.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani condemned the shrine attack in Sehwan. "Sufis always preach peace and brotherhood among people," he said in a statement, adding that "terrorists once again proved that they have no respect for Islamic values".

Raids overnight across Pakistan targeted militant hideouts and led to shootouts with insurgents that left at least 39 suspects dead, according to security officials.

Most of the operations were carried out by the paramilitary Rangers. In one raid, troops killed 11 suspects at a militant hideout in the port city of Karachi. In another, the Rangers came under fire as they were returning from Sehwan, and killed seven attackers.

Other raids took place in north-western Pakistan and also in the eastern province of Punjab. Officials said 47 suspects were arrested.

In Thursday's attack, the suicide bomber walked into the main hall at the Lal Shahbaz Qalandar shrine in Sehwan, and detonated his explosives among a crowd of worshippers, initially killing 75. At least 20 women and nine children were among the dead.

On Friday, authorities raised the death toll to 88 after some of the critically wounded died. Sindh provincial health department said 343 people were wounded but most were discharged after treatment, while 76 still remain in hospital.

Islamic State said it targeted a "Shiite gathering". The Sunni extremist group views Shiites as apostates and has targeted Pakistan's Shiite minority in the past. It also views Sufi shrines as a form of idolatry.

The Sehwan shrine, which reveres a Muslim Sufi mystic, is frequented by the faithful of many sects of Islam but the majority of the worshippers are usually Shiites.

Local TV showed graphic footage of the aftermath of the blast, with wounded worshippers crying out for help and the floors covered with shoes, blood and body parts. Women cried and beat their chests in grief.

Prime minister Nawaz Sharif vowed that security forces would track down the perpetrators, according to Pakistani state TV.

"Each drop of the nation's blood shall be avenged, and avenged immediately," said army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa.

The attack was the deadliest in Pakistan since an assault on an army-run school in Peshawar that killed 154 people, mostly schoolchildren, on December 16 2014. A Taliban-linked group, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, claimed that attack.

Pakistan has been at war with the Taliban and other extremist groups for more than a decade. In recent years it has launched major offensives against militant strongholds in the tribal regions along the border with Afghanistan, but insurgents have continued to carry out attacks elsewhere in the country.

IS has been expanding its presence in Pakistan in recent years and has claimed a number of attacks, including a suicide bombing at another Sufi shrine in November that killed more than 50 people.

Also on Friday, the Pakistani military handed over to Kabul a list of 76 suspected "terrorists" allegedly hiding in Afghanistan, demanding they be captured and extradited to Islamabad.

In Sehwan, police fired tear gas and swung batons to disperse a rally of several hundred protesters who demanded justice for the victims and better security measures from the government.

The crowd set fire to a car before the police broke up the rally.
In response to yesterday's bombing at the Shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar that killed 88 people, the Pakistan Army claims to have killed more than 100 terrorists and arrested many others.