Suicide Bombing Kills 31 at Shiite Mosque on Islamabad Outskirts

A suicide bomber killed 31 people and wounded at least 150 during Friday prayers at a Shiite mosque in Tarlai Kalan on the southeastern edge of Islamabad. Police and hospital officials said guards challenged the attacker at the entrance; he ran farther into the compound and detonated explosives near the last line of worshipers.

It was the second major attack in the capital in recent months, after a November bombing near a courthouse that killed at least 12. Shiite Muslims, a minority in Pakistan, have long been frequent targets of extremist groups, especially in areas bordering Afghanistan, though large-scale sectarian attacks in Islamabad have been comparatively rare.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but similar assaults have in the past been claimed by the Islamic State. Pakistan has accused militant groups in Afghanistan of involvement, a charge Kabul has denied.

Pakistan, Tarlai Kalan, Islamabad