Attackers lobbed grenades and opened fire on worshipers, mostly active and retired military officials, at a mosque in the garrison city of Rawalpindi during Friday Prayer, striking a further blow against the military establishment as the army pursues militants in the lawless tribal regions along the border with Afghanistan.
At least 36 people — including high-ranking military officials — were reported to have been killed and more than 45 wounded, the military said. At least one of the attackers was a suicide bomber, it said.
Officials said those killed in the attack included a major general, a brigadier and two lieutenant colonels. The wounded included Gen. Muhammad Yousaf and other officers.
General Yousaf served as the deputy head of the army under Pervez Musharraf, the former president. Hospital officials said he was in stable condition.
The attack stunned Pakistan for its brazenness and the ease with which the attackers had breached what should have been a secure area. Only military officers and others who had been screened by the intelligence services were supposedly allowed in the mosque, a witness said.
The attack, the latest in a series of such assaults, left many Pakistanis asking how militants could penetrate what were supposed to be well-guarded buildings to strike with impunity and bring the fight from the tribal areas to the heart of official power.
At least six attackers took part in the assault on the mosque, used primarily by active and retired officers and supposedly accessible only with security clearances, according to Lt. Col. Baseer Haider, a military spokesman.
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As you can see by the recent news, this isn't an isolated incident.
By: Brant
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