Islamic State affiliate claims suicide bombing at Islamabad Shia mosque, killing at least 31

The first gunshots cut through the imam’s recitation just after 1:30 p.m., as hundreds of worshippers stood shoulder to shoulder in the Khadija Tul Kubra mosque on Islamabad’s southeastern edge. Seconds later, a powerful explosion ripped through the inner gate of the Shia imambargah, sending bodies and shattered glass flying across the prayer hall.

By nightfall on Feb. 6, at least 31 people were confirmed dead and about 170 wounded in what authorities called a suicide bombing. Some later counts put the death toll at 32, including the attacker. It was the deadliest assault in Pakistan’s capital since the 2008 truck bombing of the Marriott Hotel, and a stark reminder that Islamabad’s reputation as a heavily fortified city has limits.

An Islamic State group affiliate claimed responsibility within a day, saying one of its fighters opened fire on guards before detonating an explosive vest. Pakistani officials said the bomber was a Pakistani national trained across the border in Afghanistan, and announced a series of arrests they described as breaking up the network behind the attack. Afghan Taliban authorities and India, both named or implied in some Pakistani statements, rejected any role and accused Islamabad of deflecting from its own security failures.

Attack during Friday prayers

The blast struck the Khadija Tul Kubra Shia mosque and imambargah in Tarlai Kalan, a densely populated neighborhood near Islamabad’s Shehzad Town area. Worshippers had packed the compound for main Friday prayers when, according to police, a lone attacker approached the outer gate armed with a rifle and wearing an explosives vest.

Security guards at the entrance tried to stop him. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi later told reporters that the assailant “first opened fire on our brave guards who attempted to intercept him.” Closed-circuit footage reviewed by investigators indicates that from the first shots to the moment of detonation, the attack unfolded in roughly 30 to 40 seconds.

The bomber reached the inner gate and triggered his vest just as more worshippers moved through the archway into the main hall. Witnesses described a deafening blast, a flash of heat and then darkness as the mosque filled with dust and smoke.

“When I opened my eyes, there were bodies everywhere on the carpet,” said one survivor, speaking outside a hospital where he was awaiting news of relatives. “People were screaming the names of their children. I still don’t know where my brother is.”

Rescue workers and volunteers carried the injured on stretchers and in private cars to hospitals across the capital. Authorities declared a state of emergency in Islamabad, placed major medical facilities on high alert and appealed for blood donations as emergency rooms filled with victims, many of them suffering shrapnel wounds and burns.

Doctors said the toll could rise because several of the injured were in critical condition. Local officials and witnesses said the dead and wounded included children and multiple members of the same families.

Condemnations and an IS-linked claim

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned what he called a “cowardly act of terrorism” and ordered security agencies to “use all resources to bring the perpetrators and their facilitators to justice.” President Asif Ali Zardari described the bombing as a “crime against humanity” and vowed that Pakistan would continue its fight against extremist groups.

U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres “condemned in the strongest terms” the suicide bombing on worshippers, saying in a statement that “attacks against civilians and places of worship are unacceptable” and that those responsible must be identified and held accountable.

Within about 24 hours, an Islamic State affiliate styling itself as Islamic State – Pakistan Province (ISPP) said it had carried out the attack. Through a statement distributed on the group’s Amaq news channel, it claimed the bomber targeted “polytheist” Shia Muslims and described how he shot at guards before detonating his explosives at the entrance to the mosque’s interior.

Pakistani officials said their investigation supported the claim. Naqvi announced that security forces had arrested four suspects in raids in Islamabad and the country’s northwest, including what he described as the “mastermind,” an Afghan national, and several of the bomber’s relatives.

“The suicide attacker was a Pakistani who had gone to Afghanistan, where he was trained and sent back by Islamic State elements,” Naqvi said.

He did not present detailed evidence publicly but said interrogations and forensic work were ongoing.

A preliminary reference compiled by local and foreign media identified the bomber as Yasir Khan. Officials said his relatives helped arrange his travel and provided support before the assault, underscoring what analysts describe as a pattern of family-based facilitation in Islamic State operations in the region.

Regional accusations and denials

The Taliban administration in Kabul condemned the bombing and rejected Pakistan’s accusations. Afghan officials said their government “does not allow its soil to be used for attacks on others” and called linking Afghanistan to the blast “irresponsible.”

India also issued a statement condemning the attack and expressing condolences. After some Pakistani politicians hinted at possible Indian involvement, New Delhi’s Ministry of External Affairs dismissed the suggestions as “baseless” and accused Pakistan of “deluding itself” and ignoring what it called homegrown extremism.

The competing narratives highlight how a single attack has quickly become entangled in long-running regional disputes. Pakistan has for years argued that militant groups find sanctuary in Afghanistan, especially after the Taliban takeover in 2021, and that its archrival India seeks to destabilize it through covert means. Afghanistan and India counter that Pakistan’s own history of militant patronage and tolerance of sectarian groups has created enduring security risks.

Sectarian violence and questions over security

What is not in dispute is the sectarian character of the latest attack. Shia Muslims make up an estimated 15% to 20% of Pakistan’s population and have frequently been targeted by Sunni extremist organizations, including earlier iterations of sectarian groups and Islamic State affiliates in both Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Large-scale attacks on Shia mosques and gatherings have killed scores in cities such as Quetta and Peshawar over the past two decades. In March 2022, a suicide bomber struck a Shia mosque in Peshawar, killing more than 60 people in an attack claimed by the Islamic State group. Islamabad, by contrast, had largely been spared major sectarian massacres in recent years.

That relative lull made the bombing all the more jarring for residents of the capital, who have grown used to layers of checkpoints, blast walls and armed patrols since the Marriott bombing in 2008.

“The state had assured us the capital was secure,” a Shia community leader in Islamabad said at a funeral procession for victims of the mosque attack. “If even here our mosques are not safe, where are we supposed to go?”

Security experts said the assault raised questions about intelligence gathering and protection of vulnerable sites in Islamabad. The capital was hosting the president of Uzbekistan on an official visit when the bomber struck, a fact that will likely intensify scrutiny of security arrangements.

Authorities have ordered a review of security plans for mosques and imambargahs, especially in the capital and other major cities. Officials have not yet announced new legislation or policy changes, but calls for accountability have grown louder in the wake of the blast.

Beyond immediate security concerns, the attack has renewed debate over Pakistan’s broader struggle with militancy, sectarianism and the role of regional dynamics. Islamic State’s Pakistan affiliate, while smaller than some domestic insurgent groups, has shown an ability to mount high-casualty, symbolic attacks against religious minorities and state targets. Analysts say confronting that threat will require not only more arrests but also tackling the ideological and logistical networks that allow such cells to regenerate.

As night fell over Tarlai Kalan the day after the attack, volunteers at the Khadija Tul Kubra compound scrubbed bloodstains from the mosque’s courtyard and repaired broken windows. Under heavier guard, worshippers trickled back to offer prayers for the dead. The blast had turned a place meant for reflection into a crime scene, and left a capital city, once again, wondering how long its fortified calm can last.