37 killed in Pakistani Shiite mosque bomb blast

PanARMENIAN.Net - A car bomb exploded outside a mosque, killing at least 37 people and wounding another 141 in a neighbourhood dominated by Shiite Muslims in the southern Pakistan city of Karachi.

According to Belfast Telegraph, no one has taken responsibility for the bombing, but Shiite Muslims have been increasingly targeted by Sunni militant groups in Karachi, Pakistan's economic hub and site of years of police, sectarian and ethnic violence.

The bomb exploded outside a Shiite mosque on Sunday, March 3 as people were leaving evening prayers. Initial reports suggested the bomb was rigged to a motorcycle, but police official Shabbir Sheikh said later that an estimated 100kg (220lbs) of explosives was planted in a car.

Colonel Pervez Ahmad, of a Pakistani paramilitary force called the Rangers, said a chemical used in the explosion caught fire and spread the destruction beyond the blast site. Several buildings nearby were engulfed in flames.

Sunni militant groups have stepped up attacks in the past year against Shiite Muslims who make up about 20% of Pakistan's population of 180 million people. Sunni militants linked to al Qaida and the Taliban view Shiites as heretics.