A suspected suicide bomber attacked a political rally in northwesst Pakistan on Sunday killing at least 44 people and injuring more than 100 others.
“There was utter confusion, with human flesh, limbs, and body parts scattered throughout the area, alongside lifeless bodies,” witness Abdullah Khan said after the attack on 400 supporters of the the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-F party in the town of Khar, near the Afghan border.
“I found myself lying next to someone who had lost their limbs. The air was filled with the smell of human flesh,” Sabeeh Ullah, a 24-year-old party supporter who had his arm fractured by the blast, said.
Images from the blast site circulating on social media showed bodies strewn around, and volunteers helping blood-soaked victims to ambulances.
Riaz Anwar, the health minister for Khyber Pakht unkhwa province — told Agence France-Presse late Sunday that the bomber detonated himself in close proximity to the stage.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the blast Sunday on social media, offering condolences to the victims and vowing to punish those responsible.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but police said Monday their initial investigation suggested that the local chapter of the Islamic State was behind the bombing, according to Geo News.
District Police Officer Nazir Khan said three suspects had been arrested, Geo News reported.
The JUI-F is a major ally of the coalition government of Sharif, which is preparing for the November national elections.
Last year, IS said it was behind violent attacks against religious scholars affiliated with the party, which has a huge network of mosques and madrassas in the north and west of the country.
The jihadist group accuses JUI-F of hypocrisy for being an Islamic group while supporting hostile governments and the military.
WITH AFP