Ramdan Special – Massacre in Pakistan

Suicide Bomber Kills 48 In Pakistan Mosque
by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

text size A A A PESHAWAR, Pakistan August 19, 2011, 04:28 pm ET
A suicide bomber struck worshippers during prayers Friday at a mosque close to the Afghan border, killing 48 people in an attack one official said may have been aimed at anti-Taliban elders praying during the holy month of Ramadan.

Militants have frequently attacked tribesmen who have dared speak up — or raise arms — against them in the border region, where al-Qaida and the Pakistan Taliban have long held sway. Rifts between insurgent factions have also led to mass casualty attacks there.

Pakistan has lost more than 35,000 people in militant violence since 2007, with mosques, markets and hotels all targeted. But the attack was especially shocking because it came not only on Islam’s holiest day of the week, but also its holiest month, when observant Muslims fast during the daytime and spend extra time in prayer and communal activities.

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http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=112225449

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