31 killed in bombing near Pakistan mosque, protests (correction)

Feb 17, 2012, 23:07 GMT

Islamabad - A bomb exploded outside a Shiite mosque on Friday killing at least 25 people, and six more died in the protests that followed in Pakistan's north-western tribal region along the Afghan border, officials and witnesses said.

The blast took place in Parachinar, the main city in the Kurram tribal district, as worshippers were leaving the mosque after Friday prayers.

A security official in Parachinar said it appeared to be a suicide attack.

'According to the reports we have received here, at least 25 people are confirmed dead and 38 injured,' said an official in neighbouring Kohat district.

Fazal Saeed Haqqani, a Taliban leader in the area, claimed responsibility for the attack.

Hassan Jaan, a spokesman for the Imamia Student Organization, a Shiite group, said most of the casualties were Shiite Muslims.

Following the bombing, angry crowds of Shiite Muslims took to the streets in protest. Two witnesses claimed that security forces opened fire at the crowd, killing six people.

'I was there. I saw six people dead and several more injured. People were angry and they tried to torch some buildings,' said a witness, Jabar Khan.

There was no official confirmation of the alleged deaths. However, security forces imposed a curfew in Parachinar to stop protests.

Kurram has a long history of violence between Shiite and Sunni Muslims. The fighting intensified in 2009 when hundreds of tribesmen attacked each other's villages, killing hundreds of people.

The Taliban, who belong to the Sunni sect, also joined the fighting.

Last year, the Pakistani government arranged a peace deal between the rival groups, but some attacks have continued.