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| Pakistan church attack: Suicide bombers storm church and detonate explosives as congregation worships | Pakistan church attack: Suicide bombers storm church and detonate explosives as congregation worships |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Two suicide bombers stormed a Christian church in southwestern Pakistan, killing at least eight people and wounding up to 42 others before being stopped by police guards. | |
| The gunmen, who were wearing vests filled with explosives, attacked the church in Quetta city when Sunday services had just opened. | The gunmen, who were wearing vests filled with explosives, attacked the church in Quetta city when Sunday services had just opened. |
| Sarfaraz Bugti, home minister for Baluchistan province, said hundreds of worshippers were attending the church ahead of Christmas. | Sarfaraz Bugti, home minister for Baluchistan province, said hundreds of worshippers were attending the church ahead of Christmas. |
| He said one attacker was killed at the entrance to the church, while the other set off his payload inside. | He said one attacker was killed at the entrance to the church, while the other set off his payload inside. |
| Police guards at the church exchanged fire with the attackers before they could enter the main sanctuary, said provincial police chief Moazzam Jah. | Police guards at the church exchanged fire with the attackers before they could enter the main sanctuary, said provincial police chief Moazzam Jah. |
| "There were nearly 400 people inside the church, but the attackers couldn't get inside the services," Mr Jah said. | "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." | "We killed one of them, and the other one exploded himself after police wounded him." |
| Baluchistan police chief Moazzam Ansari confirmed the death toll. | Baluchistan police chief Moazzam Ansari confirmed the death toll. |
| Mr Ansari praised the response of security forces guarding the church, saying the attacker who made it inside was wounded and unable to reach the main building. | Mr Ansari praised the response of security forces guarding the church, saying the attacker who made it inside was wounded and unable to reach the main building. |
| "Otherwise the loss of lives could have been much higher," he told reporters. | "Otherwise the loss of lives could have been much higher," he told reporters. |
| Quetta police chief Abdur Razzaq Cheema said a search is underway for two suspected accomplices who escaped. | Quetta police chief Abdur Razzaq Cheema said a search is underway for two suspected accomplices who escaped. |
| Mr Jah said the church had guards because Christian places of worship are often targeted by Islamist extremist groups | Mr Jah said the church had guards because Christian places of worship are often targeted by Islamist extremist groups |
| No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. Muslim extremists have targeted Pakistan's Christian minority in the past. | No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. Muslim extremists have targeted Pakistan's Christian minority in the past. |
| Local television showed ambulances and security patrols racing to the scene, while women and children were being led out of the church's main gate. | Local television showed ambulances and security patrols racing to the scene, while women and children were being led out of the church's main gate. |
| Hospitals officials said two women were among the dead while another five women and two children were among the wounded. | Hospitals officials said two women were among the dead while another five women and two children were among the wounded. |
| A young girl in a white dress sobbed as she recounted the attack to Geo television, saying many people around her were wounded. | A young girl in a white dress sobbed as she recounted the attack to Geo television, saying many people around her were wounded. |
| Aqil Anjum, who was shot in his right arm, told the Associated Press he heard a blast in the middle of the service, followed by heavy gunfire. | Aqil Anjum, who was shot in his right arm, told the Associated Press he heard a blast in the middle of the service, followed by heavy gunfire. |
| "It was chaos. Bullets were hitting people inside the closed hall." | "It was chaos. Bullets were hitting people inside the closed hall." |
| Dozens of Christians gathered outside a nearby hospital to protest the lack of security. | Dozens of Christians gathered outside a nearby hospital to protest the lack of security. |
| Pakistan's president and other senior officials condemned the attack. | Pakistan's president and other senior officials condemned the attack. |
| "Attack of terrorists on Zarghoon road church in Quetta is condemned. Pakistan’s resolve against terrorism cannot be deterred by these cowardly acts," Mohammad Faisal, a spokesman for Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, wrote on Twitter. | "Attack of terrorists on Zarghoon road church in Quetta is condemned. Pakistan’s resolve against terrorism cannot be deterred by these cowardly acts," Mohammad Faisal, a spokesman for Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, wrote on Twitter. |
| Baluchistan has long been the scene of an insurgency by separatists fighting against the state to demand more of a share of the gas and mineral-rich region's resources. They also accuse the central government of discrimination. | |
| The Taliban, Sunni Islamist militants and sectarian groups linked to al-Qaeda and Isis also operate in the strategically important region, which borders Iran as well as Afghanistan. | |
| Pakistan has launched several military offensives over the last decade against the Islamist militants who want to install their own harsh brand of religion. | |
| Although beaten and dispersed, the militants have shown resilience to launch spectacular attacks. | |
| Earlier this month, three Taliban suicide bombers attacked an agriculture college in northwestern Peshawar city, killing eight students and a guard. | |
| Additional reporting by agencies | Additional reporting by agencies |