Suicide bombing at Pakistan Islamic seminary kills six, including Taliban-linked cleric

A suicide bomber exploded during Friday prayers at an Islamic seminary in northwestern Pakistan, a site historically known for training the Afghan Taliban, resulting in the deaths of six worshippers, according to police and a government spokesperson.

The provincial government spokesman Muhammad Ali Saif stated that the leader of the religious school was one of the fatalities. The deceased individual, Maulana Hamid-ul-Haq, was the child of the late Maulana Sami-ul-Haq, recognized as the founder of the Taliban.

No organization promptly took responsibility for the assault.

The assailant, donned in a suicide vest packed with explosives, approached Haq as he exited a mosque located on the grounds of the Darul Uloom Haqqania seminary, his brother Maulana Abdul Haq informed. Regional police official Najeebur Rahman previously stated that multiple individuals were injured.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif denounced the bombing and conveyed his sadness regarding Haq’s death, in a statement released by his office.

Hidden in a dusty Pakistani town just off the primary motorway to the Afghan border, Darul Uloom Haqqania university served as the starting point for the Taliban movement in the 1990s. It is frequently referred to as a breeding ground for radical Islamists.

Pakistan is facing two simultaneous insurgencies: one led by Islamist groups and the other by ethnic militants who are pursuing secession, claiming the government is unjustly distributing natural resources.