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world news Diasabra 5 Maart 2022

Suicide bombing kills 56 at Shiite mosque in Pakistan

(AP) — A suicide bomb- suicide vest. His national security adviser,
er struck inside a Shiite Moeed Yusuf, said the bomb-
Muslim mosque in Paki- The suicide bomber had ing was a “heinous terrorist
stan’s northwestern city strapped a powerful explosive attack” and promised that
of Peshawar during Friday device to his body, packed those behind the carnage
prayers, killing at least 56 with 5 kilograms (12 pounds) would “be brought to justice.
worshippers and wound- of explosives, said Moazzam
ing 194 people, hospital Jah Ansari, the top police of- “We will not allow our gains
officials said. ficial for Khyber Pukhtunkh- against terrorism & our in-
wa province where Peshawar ternal security to be com-
No militant group imme- is the capital. promised at any cost,” Yusuf
diately claimed responsibil- tweeted.
ity for the attack. Both the The device was hidden be-
Islamic State group and the neath a large black shawl Retired army officer Sher
Pakistani Taliban — a mili- that covered much of the at- Ali who had been inside the
tant group separate from the tacker’s body, according to mosque at the time of the ex-
Taliban in Afghanistan — CCTV footage seen by The plosion was injured by flying
have carried out similar at- Associated Press. The footage saldar Mosque for Friday gency department, many of shrapnel. He made a impas-
tacks in the past in the area, showed the bomber moving prayers. There are fears the them wailing and beating sioned plea to the Pakistani
located near the border with quickly up a narrow street death toll could still rise fur- their chests, pleading for in- government for better pro-
Afghanistan. toward the mosque entrance. ther, he added. formation about their loved tection of the country’s mi-
He fired at the police protect- ones. nority Shiites.
According to the spokesman ing the mosque before enter- Ambulances rushed through
at Peshawar’s Lady Reading ing inside. congested narrow streets car- Outside the mosque, Shiites “What is our sin? What have
Hospital, Asim Khan, many rying the wounded to Lady pressed through the cor- we done? Aren’t we citizens
of the wounded were in Within seconds, a powerful Reading Hospital, where doned-off streets. Kucha Ri- of this country?” he said from
critical condition. Scores of explosion occurred and the doctors worked feverishly. saldar Mosque is one of the inside the emergency depart-
victims were peppered with camera lens was obscured oldest in the area, predating ment, his white clothes splat-
shrapnel, several had limbs with dust and debris. An- Shayan Haider, a witness, the creation of Pakistan in tered with blood.
amputated and others were sari said the crudely made had been preparing to enter 1947 as a separate homeland
injured by flying debris. device was packed with ball the mosque when a powerful for the Muslims of the Indian Iran’s Foreign Ministry con-
bearings, a deadly method of explosion threw him to the subcontinent. demned the attack, saying
Peshawar Police Chief Mu- constructing a bomb to in- ground. “I opened my eyes the perpetrators were intent
hammed Ejaz Khan said the flict the most carnage spray- and there was dust and bod- The prayer leader, Allama Ir- on “sowing discord among
violence started when an ing a larger area with deadly ies everywhere,” he said. shad Hussein Khalil, a prom- Muslims.” In a statement
armed attacker opened fire projectiles. The ball bearings inent up and coming young on the ministry’s website,
on police outside the mosque caused the high death toll, At the Lady Reading Hospi- Shiite leader, was among the spokesman Saeed Khatiza-
in Peshawar’s old city. One Ansari said. tal Emergency department, dead. Throughout the city, deh expressed his hope that
policeman was killed in the there was chaos as doctors ambulance sirens could be Pakistan’s government puts
gunfight, and another police Local police official Waheed struggled to move the many heard. an end to such attacks with
officer was wounded. The Khan said the explosion oc- wounded into operating the- “firm actions,” without elab-
attacker then ran inside the curred as worshippers had aters. Hundreds of relatives Prime Minister Imran Khan orating.
mosque and detonated his gathered in the Kucha Ri- gathered outside the emer- condemned the bombing.

Russia to punish ‘fake’ war reports with 15 years in prison

(AP) — Russian President of Russian parliament, said Facebook, citing its alleged Radio Free Europe/Radio numbers of losses of the Rus-
Vladimir Putin on Friday the new measure “will force “discrimination” of the Rus- Liberty, German broadcaster sian Federation Armed Forc-
signed a bill introducing those who lied and made sian media and state informa- Deutsche Welle and Latvia- es and victims among the ci-
a prison sentence of up to statements discrediting our tion resources. The agency based website Meduza. To- vilian population.”
15 years for those spread- armed forces to bear very said in a statement that the gether, they are among the
ing information that goes grave punishment.” restrictions introduced by most influential and often The BBC said Friday it was
against the Russian gov- Facebook owner Meta on the critical foreign media pub- temporarily stopping the
ernment’s narrative on The new law envisages sen- Russian news channel RT lishing in Russian. work of all its journalists and
the war in Ukraine. tences of up to three years and other state-controlled support staff in Russia while
or fines for spreading what media violate the Russian Roskomnadzor said those it assessed the implications of
The bill criminalizing the in- authorities deem to be false law. media had published “false the new law. BBC Director-
tentional spreading of what news about the military, but information” on subjects in- General Tim Davie said the
Russia deems to be “fake” the maximum punishment Nick Clegg, Meta’s presi- cluding “the methods of car- legislation “appears to crimi-
reports about the war was rises to 15 years for cases dent of global affairs, said in rying out combat activities nalize the process of inde-
quickly rubber-stamped by deemed to have led to “severe a tweet in response to Rus- (attacks on civilians, strikes pendent journalism.”
both houses of the Kremlin- consequences.” sia’s action that “millions of on civil infrastructure), the
controlled parliament earlier ordinary Russians will find
in the day. Also Friday, the state com- themselves cut off from re-
munications watchdog, Ros- liable information, deprived
Russian authorities have re- komnadzor, blocked Face- of their everyday ways of
peatedly decried reports of book and five foreign media connecting with family and
Russian military setbacks or organizations based abroad friends and silenced from
civilian deaths in Ukraine as which publish news in Rus- speaking out.”
“fake” news. State media out- sian in a sweeping action to
lets refer to Russia’s invasion establish even tighter con- The Russian media blocks
of Ukraine as a “special mili- trols over the information also affected five foreign
tary operation” rather than a about the Russian invasion media organizations based
“war” or an “invasion.” of Ukraine reaching ordinary abroad which publish news in
Russians. Russian. They included the
Vyacheslav Volodin, the BBC, the U.S. government-
speaker of the lower house Roskomnadzor, blocked funded Voice of America and