A suicide bombing at the Khadija Tul Kubra mosque in Islamabad’s Tarlai Kalan area killed at least 31 people and wounded dozens more during Friday prayers. Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said security guards attempted to stop the suspect, who opened fire before detonating explosives among worshippers. Authorities reported that 169 people were taken to hospitals following the blast. The ISIL (ISIS) group later claimed responsibility for the attack on its Telegram channel, sharing an image of the alleged bomber.

Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar condemned the bombing as a “cowardly suicide attack on innocent worshippers,” while Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari expressed grief and called the assault a crime against humanity. Shia leader Raja Abbas Nasir criticized the authorities for failing to protect lives. The United Kingdom’s ambassador and the European Union delegation in Pakistan also condemned the violence.

The attack is among the deadliest in Islamabad in recent years, following previous suicide bombings in 2023 and 2008 that targeted the city’s judicial complex and Marriott hotel respectively.