ISIS Claims Deadly Mosque Bombing in Islamabad, Killing 31
A suicide bombing at a mosque in Islamabad on Friday left at least 31 dead and 169 wounded. The Islamic State claimed responsibility, marking the second major attack on the capital in under three months. The incident signals a worrying shift as insurgent violence spreads back into Pakistan's urban centres.
The Islamic State (IS) has remained active in Pakistan despite years of counterterrorism efforts. Operating in small, hidden cells, the group evades detection, making attacks difficult to prevent. Authorities have arrested, jailed, or killed dozens of IS militants along the Afghanistan border in recent years, but the threat persists.
Pakistan had previously contained most insurgent violence to remote regions like Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. However, urban areas such as Islamabad, Lahore, and Karachi—once safer after a 50% drop in attacks from 2021 to 2025—now face renewed risks. Measures like expanded military operations, 100,000 additional security personnel, and AI-enhanced border surveillance have struggled to stop high-profile assaults, including a June 2024 suicide bombing in Khuzdar that killed 47.
The U.S. recently praised Pakistan for extraditing a suspect linked to a 2021 Kabul attack that killed 13 Americans. Yet, Friday's mosque bombing underscores the ongoing challenge of curbing IS's reach.
The Islamabad attack confirms the Islamic State's ability to strike even in heavily guarded cities. With insurgent violence rising again in urban areas, Pakistan's security forces face growing pressure to adapt. The government continues to strengthen defences, but the threat of further attacks remains.
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