Islamic State suicide bombers target church

  • 18/12/2017
A man carries a girl as he runs out with others after gunmen attacked the Bethel Memorial Methodist Church in Quetta
A man carries a girl as he runs out with others after gunmen attacked the Bethel Memorial Methodist Church in Quetta. Photo credit: Reuters

Two suicide bombers have attacked a packed Christian church in southwestern Pakistan, killing at least eight people and wounding up to 45 before one of them blew himself up and police killed the other.

Islamic State (IS) has claimed the attack through its Amaq news agency in an online statement.

It says two IS members carried out the attack but provided no evidence for the claim.

The gunmen wearing explosives-filled vests stormed the church in Quetta city when Sunday services had just opened, exploding a suicide vest and shooting at the worshippers, said Sarfraz Bugti, the home minister of Baluchistan province.

Police guards at the church exchanged fire with the attackers before they could enter the main sanctuary, said provincial police chief Moazzam Jah. He said two women were among those killed.

"There were nearly 400 people inside the church, but the attackers couldn't get inside the services," Mr Jah said. "We killed one of them, and the other one exploded himself after police wounded him," he said.

Mr Jah said the venue, Bethel Memorial Methodist Church, was on high alert as Christian places of worship were often targeted by Islamist extremist over Christmas.

Another police official, Abdur Razaq Cheema, said two attackers escaped from the scene.

Reuters