Easter Bombing in Pakistan Kills 69
- By Sydny Shepard
- Mar 28, 2016
On Easter Sunday, some of Pakistan’s Christian population gathered with their Muslim neighbors to celebrate Easter in a nearby common area, Gulshan Iqbal Park. The families brought their children and friends; they played games and pushed each other on the swings. That was before tragedy struck.
Suddenly, a blast tore through the park, killing 69 people in its path and wounding almost 400 more. Due to the setting, an unusually high number of those killed were women and children, but the attack, claimed by a splinter group of Pakistani Taliban, was intentionally targeting Christians.
Overnight raids by military and intelligence agencies targeted locations in three cities across the Pakistani province of Punjab, including Lahore, Faisalabad and Multan, a military spokesman tweeted. While there are no details on who has been arrested or what role – if any – they may have played in the bombing, security forces continue to hunt for suspects.
In addition to the unspecified number of arrests of suspected “terrorists and facilitators” forces also recovered a “huge cache of arms and ammunition.” Lt. Gen. Asim Bajwa tweeted.
As of the morning of March 28, the operations were continuing with “more leads coming in,” Bajwa said.
About the Author
Sydny Shepard is the Executive Editor of Campus Security & Life Safety.