Aftermath, injured, bodies after Pakistan blast

(31 Mar 2017) A powerful car bomb exploded near a minority Shiite Muslim place of worship in the northwest town of Parachinar on Friday, killing at least 22 people and wounding over 70 others, officials said. The attack took place near Parachinar's Shiite mosque, which is located near the Noor Market, according to Mushtaq Ghani, a spokesman for the provincial government. The blast was so powerful it also damaged vehicles and nearby shops, according to government administrator Zahid Hussain. He said authorities announced an emergency and rescuers were transporting the dead and wounded to nearby hospitals. Parachinar is a key town in the Kurram tribal region bordering Afghanistan, and it has been racked by sectarian violence in the past. The region was also once a stronghold of Pakistani Taliban and Sunni militant groups. Although the army says it has cleared the Kurram region of militants, violence has continued there. Mansoor and Lashker-e-Jhangvi, another banned Sunni sectarian militant group, have been behind previous such attacks in the region, where Shiite Muslims are in the majority. Friday's blast came hours after state-run media said Pakistani President Mamnoon Hussain signed a bill removing the last hurdle for the revival of military courts to try terrorism suspects. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you... Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork