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At least 60 killed in suicide bombing of Pakistan church
Published September 22, 2013

PESHAWAR, Pakistan –  A pair of suicide bombers detonated their explosives outside a historic church in northwestern Pakistan on Sunday, killing over 60 people in the deadliest-ever attack on the country's Christian minority, officials said.
The bombing in Peshawar, which wounded another 120 people, underlines the threat posed by Islamic extremists as the government seeks a peace deal with domestic Taliban militants. It will likely intensify criticism from those who believe that negotiating peace with militants is a mistake.

The attack occurred as hundreds of worshippers were coming out of the church in the city's Kohati Gate district after services to get a free meal of rice offered on the front lawn, said a top government administrator, Sahibzada Anees.

"There were blasts and there was hell for all of us," said Nazir John, who was at the church with at least 400 other worshippers. "When I got my senses back, I found nothing but smoke, dust, blood and screaming people. I saw severed body parts and blood all around."

Survivors wailed and hugged each other in the wake of the blasts. The white walls of the All Saints Church were pockmarked with holes caused by ball bearings or other metal objects contained in the bombs to cause maximum damage. Blood stained the floor and was splashed on the walls. Plates filled with rice were scattered across the ground.

The attack was carried out by a pair of suicide bombers who detonated their explosives almost simultaneously, said police officer Shafqat Malik. Authorities found their body parts and were trying to determine their age, he said.

The blasts killed over 60 people and wounded another 120, said Arshad Javed, the top health official at the hospital in Peshawar where the victims were being treated. The dead included several women and children, said Sher Ali Khan, another doctor at the hospital.

The number of casualties from the blasts was so high that the hospital was running out of caskets for the dead and beds for the wounded, said Mian Iftikhar Hussain, a former information minister of surrounding Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province who was on the scene.

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http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/09/22/at-least-43-killed-in-suicide-bombing-pakistan-church/

Suicide bombers attack Pakistan church, killing 75
Published Sunday, September 22, 2013 7:17AM EDT
Last Updated Sunday, September 22, 2013 9:30AM EDT

PESHAWAR, Pakistan -- A pair of suicide bombers detonated their explosives outside a historic church in northwestern Pakistan on Sunday, killing 75 people in the deadliest-ever attack on the country's Christian minority, officials said.

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The attack was carried out by a pair of suicide bombers who detonated their explosives almost simultaneously, said police officer Shafqat Malik. Authorities found their body parts and were trying to determine their age, he said.

The blasts killed 75 people and wounded another 110, said Jamil Shah, a spokesman at the hospital in Peshawar where the victims were being treated. The dead included women and children, said Sher Ali Khan, another doctor at the hospital.

http://www.ctvnews.ca/world/suicide-bombers-attack-pakistan-church-killing-75-1.1465289

(http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02679/Peshawar-4_2679255c.jpg)

(http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02679/Peshawar-3_2679256c.jpg)

Terrorist Suicide Bomb Kills Christians at Pakistan Church: 60 People Killed & More than 120 Injured Including Women and Children Following Twin Suicide Bomb Blasts in Qissa Khawani Bazaar of Peshawar

Posted September 22, 2013 by Scared Monkeys

http://scaredmonkeys.com/2013/09/22/terrorist-suicide-bomb-kills-christians-at-pakistan-church-60-people-killed-more-than-120-injured-including-women-and-children-following-twin-suicide-bomb-blasts-in-qissa-khawani-bazaar-of-peshawar/#comments

At least 78 killed in suicide bombing at Pakistan church
Published September 22, 2013

PESHAWAR, Pakistan –  A pair of suicide bombers blew themselves up amid hundreds of worshippers at a historic church in northwestern Pakistan on Sunday, killing 78 people in the deadliest-ever attack against the country's Christian minority.

A wing of the Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the bombing, raising new questions about the government's push to strike a peace deal with the militants to end a decade-long insurgency that has killed thousands of people.

The Jundullah arm of the Taliban said they would continue to target non-Muslims until the United States stopped drone attacks in Pakistan's remote tribal region. The latest drone strike came Sunday, when missiles hit a pair of compounds in the North Waziristan tribal area, killing six suspected militants.

The attack on the All Saints Church, which wounded 141 people, occurred as worshippers were leaving after services to get a free meal of rice offered on the front lawn, said a top government administrator, Sahibzada Anees.

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http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/09/22/at-least-43-killed-in-suicide-bombing-pakistan-church/

(http://global.fncstatic.com/static/managed/img/U.S./pakistan_church_bombing_protest.jpg)


Sept. 22, 2013: Pakistani Christians chant slogans as they burn materials during a protest against a suicide attack on a church in Karachi, Pakistan. A suicide bomb attack on a historic church in northwestern Pakistan killed scores of people Sunday, officials said, in one of the worst assaults on the countrys Christian minority in years. (AP)

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/09/22/at-least-43-killed-in-suicide-bombing-pakistan-church/

(http://therightscoop.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/pakistan-church-attack-protest-lahore.jpg)

Scores Are Killed by Suicide Bomb Attack at Historic Church in Pakistan
Published: September 22, 2013

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Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, who arrived in Peshawar on Sunday evening, said that 78 people had been killed, including 34 women and 7 children. “Such an attack on women and children is against humanity,” he said.Akhtar Ali Shah, the home secretary of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, said that more than 100 people had been wounded. Mr. Khan said that 37 of those were children.

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http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/23/world/asia/pakistan-church-bombing.html

Pakistan Protests At Deadly Church Bombings
Monday 23 September 2013

Angry Christians have been demonstrating across Pakistan in protest at Sunday's church bombings as the number of dead climbed overnight to 81.

In the country's deadliest attack against the minority faith, a pair of suicide bombers blew themselves up amid hundreds of worshippers outside an historic church in Peshawar, north-western Pakistan.

Christian protesters have blocked roads around the country in protest at the attack.

On one of the main roads coming into the capital, Islamabad, demonstrators burned brush and tyres and demanded government protection for the members of the Christian minority.

"We are a peaceful nation. We are loyal citizens of Pakistan," said Simon Jalal, a priest. "We want our rights, we want security. Security should be provided to our churches to stop more incidents like yesterday's."

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http://news.sky.com/story/1145305/pakistan-protests-at-deadly-church-bombings


(http://media.skynews.com/media/images/generated/2013/9/23/261045/default/v1/pakistan-protest-2-522x293.jpg)

Pakistan Protests At Deadly Church Bombings
Monday 23 September 2013

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Christians are a minority in Pakistan, where roughly 96% of the country's 180 million people is Muslim. The rest is made up of other religions, including Christianity.

Christians are also in a precarious position in Pakistan.

While many Pakistanis condemned the Sunday bombings, Christians have often faced discrimination across the country.

They find it difficult to get access to education or better jobs and are known for having to contend with menial labour such as rubbish collecting or street cleaning

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http://news.sky.com/story/1145305/pakistan-protests-at-deadly-church-bombings