Nine injured in IED blast in Chaman mosque

At least nine people were injured in an explosion inside a mosque in Balochistan’s Chaman area on Wednesday evening, media channels reported.

The prayer leader (khateeb) of the mosque was among those injured in the blast that took place during maghrib prayers, police sources said. The mosque is located on Taj Road in Chaman, which lies near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

The explosion was caused by an improvised explosive device (IED) hidden inside the mosque, police sources told media. The blast was so powerful that it was heard far and wide.

The injured were rushed to Civil Hospital Chaman for medical treatment where a state of emergency was imposed to treat the injured.

TV footage following the blast showed smoke inside the mosque and shattered glass lying on carpets.

Police, Levies and Frontier Corps officials cordoned off the site of the explosion. No group has claimed responsibility for the blast so far.

The incident comes on a day when Eid Miladun Nabi is being celebrated across the country. Strict security measures have been taken in connection with the processions being carried out today.

Chaman is considered a sensitive town in Balochistan as it shares a border with Afghanistan’s volatile Kandahar province.

Earlier in August, one person was killed and 10 others, including two security personnel, were injured when an explosive device fitted in a motorcycle went off at Mall Road in Chaman.