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A bomb blast in a densely populated Shi’ite area of Pakistan's northwestern tribal belt has killed at least 22 people and wounded dozens of others, reports say.
Government administrator Zahid Hussain said the March 31 blast was caused by a bomb that exploded near a Shi’ite mosque when people started gathering for Friday prayer near the entrance of a Shia mosque in the central bazaar.
Eyewitnesses said up to eight people died in the blast in Parachinar, the capital of the Kurram tribal district on the Afghan border.
Pictures from bloody (covered, smeared, & running with blood) #Parachinar. The #Terror. The #terrorism. The #Pakistan! FYI: @ISPR_Official pic.twitter.com/hwP1VwdsKS— Shabbir Hussain Imam (@peshavar) March 31, 2017
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the bombing, which comes after a January 21 bomb explosion in Parachinar killed 24 people and wounded dozens of others.
The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for that attack.
Parachinar is the capital of the Kurram tribal district on the Afghan border. The area is known for sectarian clashes between Sunnis and Shi'a, who make up around 20 percent of Pakistan's population of 200 million.
With reporting by AP and Reuter