Pakistani mosque bombing has killed 100 people and injured more than 200. Bata did it?

　　[Global Times Special Correspondent in Pakistan Cheng Shijie] A suicide bombing attacked a mosque in Peshawar, the capital of Khyber-Pashtun Province in northwestern Pakistan, on the afternoon of January 30.

As of the deadline of this newspaper on the 31st, 100 people have been killed and more than 200 people have been injured, almost all of whom are policemen.

　　Agence France-Presse reported on January 31 that according to the local police in Peshawar, 300 to 400 police officers were praying in the mosque when the attack occurred.

The explosion caused partial collapse of the mosque building, and many victims were still trapped in the ruins of the building, which caused serious difficulties in treating the wounded and identifying the dead.

The death toll is still expected to rise further.

　　According to Pakistan's "Dawn" report, at present, all the remains of the injured and the dead have been sent to the largest hospital in Peshawar, Mrs. Reading Hospital for treatment.

Since the evening of the 30th, a large number of family members of the police have gathered in the hospital to accompany the injured or confirm the identity of the deceased.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shabaz Sharif and Pakistan Army Chief of Staff Munir rushed to the hospital to express condolences to the injured.

　　On the night of the incident, two Pakistani Taliban officials spoke to the media separately, saying that the attack was revenge for the previous police campaign against Bata.

However, in the afternoon of the next day, local and international media released news that Bata's top officials issued a statement denying that the organization was involved in the attack.

According to Agence France-Presse, the Pakistani Taliban has carried out several years of terrorist violence since its emergence in 2007.

But the group has recently tried to rebrand itself as a less brutal image, claiming it would not target places of worship.

A security official in Peshawar, speaking on condition of anonymity, said authorities were considering all possibilities, including a coordinated attack by Pakistani Taliban splinter factions, Islamic State or several groups.

　　Pakistan was once plagued by near-daily bomb attacks, but a massive military clean-up operation that began in 2014 restored order to the country.

Analysts say militants in the former tribal area adjoining Peshawar and the Afghan border have become more emboldened since the return of the Afghan Taliban.

Attacks that cause mass casualties remain relatively rare, though.

　　A person familiar with the matter said that the mosque that was attacked this time was near the local police station in Peshawar.

Considering the recent series of actions taken by the police against Bata, the attack is likely to be carried out by Bata. In December last year, the Pakistani police killed Bata's senior commander and senior spokesman Mohammad Khosani in an operation. This news was also confirmed in January this year.

　　(Source: Global Times)