The Telegraph UK
written by Staff
Sunday April 3, 2011
At least 41 people have been killed outside a shrine in Pakistan, following twin suicide bomb attacks.
The bombers struck outside the shrine of the 13th century Sufi saint Ahmed Sultan, popularly known as Sakhi Sarwar, in Dera Ghazi Khan district.
Hundreds of worshippers had gathered at the shrine for a religious ceremony when the attacks took place.
"We have recovered 41 bodies so far," said the officer, Zahid Hussain Shah, adding that more than 70 were wounded.
"Both were suicide attackers, they came on foot and blew themselves up when police on duty stopped them."
Many of those wounded in the attack were in a serious condition, he said, and the injured have been taken to the Dera Ghazi Khan hospital for treatment.
Regional police chief Ahmed Mubarak also confirmed two suicide bombers tried to enter the shrine but failed and blew themselves up.
Sufi worshippers, who follow a mystical strain of Islam, have increasingly been the target of bloody attacks by Islamist militants in Pakistan.
The Taliban later claimed responsibility for the attacks.
"our men carried out these attacks and we will carry out more in retaliation for government operations against our people in the northwest," a spokesman said.
The Taliban, are vehemently opposed to the Sufi strand of Islam and consider their shrines to be idolatrous. [So that's how they justify murdering innocent civilians?! They should live their lives and LET everybody else lives theirs. My gosh! But this is an example of radical muslims KILLING muslims!!! There is at least one radical muslim suicide bombing reported every week targeted at liberal/moderate muslims! (emphasis mine)]
A bomb blast outside the popular shrine of the 12th century saint, Baba Farid, also known as Ganjshakar in the Punjab town of Pakpattan, killed four people, including women, in October last year.
The Pakpattan site is the second most popular Sufi shrine after the Data Darbar shrine in the eastern city of Lahore, where two suicide bombers blew themselves up among crowds of worshippers in July last year, killing 42 people.
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