ISIS claims deadly bombing at Shiite mosque in Pakistan’s capital

ISIS has claimed responsibility for the bombing at a Shiite mosque in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad.

According to foreign media, the terrorist organisation said in a statement that the attacker reached the inner gates of the mosque before detonating an explosive belt among members of the Shiite community, resulting in a large number of fatalities and injuries.

The attack took place on February 6, 2026. At least 31 people were killed, and 169 others were wounded with injuries of varying severity. It was the deadliest attack in Islamabad since the 2008 bombing of the Marriott Hotel.

Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said authorities had established that the attacker had previously travelled to Afghanistan and accused India of being involved in sponsoring the attack. Indian officials rejected the accusations, calling them “baseless,” while also condemning the bombing.

Although Pakistan is a predominantly Sunni Muslim country, Shiites account for an estimated 10–15% of the population and have repeatedly been targeted in sectarian attacks across the region.

Islamabad has accused separatist militant groups operating in southern Balochistan, as well as the Pakistani Taliban and other Islamist factions active in northern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province near the capital, of using Afghan territory as a safe haven from which to plan and launch attacks inside Pakistan.

Afghanistan’s Taliban-led government has consistently rejected these allegations.

Relations between the two neighbours have sharply deteriorated, with security forces from both sides frequently engaging in clashes along the shared border.

The previous major attack in Islamabad occurred in November, when a suicide bombing outside a courthouse killed 12 people and injured dozens, marking the first such assault on the capital in nearly three years.

Meanwhile, violence in Balochistan has intensified. Attacks claimed by separatist insurgents last week left 36 civilians and 22 members of the security forces dead, triggering a large-scale counteroffensive in which authorities said nearly 200 militants were killed.

By Tamilla Hasanova