A blast targeting the minority Shia community of Quetta killed nearly 10 people on Wednesday just as they were returning after Id-ul-Fitr prayers at a mosque. According to the police, the loss of life would have been higher had the bomber managed to get closer to the mosque.
In view of the tight security around the mosque, the bomber parked in the parking lot and detonated himself as the faithful were returning to their vehicles after offering Id prayers. Initially the police said the bomber had parked the car and left the place but with the discovery of a mutilated body in the vehicle, the attack was billed as a suicide bomb strike.
At least 20 people sustained injuries and several vehicles were damaged by the explosion. Television footage of the blast site showed several cars ablaze and huge dark clouds of smoke through which people could be seen trying to push their vehicles out of the parking lot.
Though no group claimed responsibility for the terror strike on a day when Id festivities began after a month of fasting, the Shia community of Quetta has routinely come under attack from terrorist groups. Soon after the blast, members of the Shia community took out a march to protest the failure of the government to secure their lives despite repeated attacks.
