Attackers strike mosques in Pakistan; at least 80 dead

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Extremists stormed two mosques belonging to a religious minority in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore on Friday, killing at least 80 people in the worst-ever assault on the country's Ahmadi community.

The strikes — the deadliest against the Ahmadi community — highlight the threat to minority religious groups by the same militants who have repeatedly attacked Pakistan's U.S.-allied government and threatened to destabilize the nuclear-armed nation.

Pakistan's Geo TV channel said the Punjab province branch of the Pakistani Taliban had claimed responsibility; however that could not be immediately confirmed. The Pakistani Taliban are believed to have played a role in the failed car bombing in New York City's Times Square on May 1.

Seven or more attackers charged into the mosques, firing machine guns and throwing hand grenades, in Model Town and Garhi Shahu, residential areas several miles apart, media accounts said. Some attackers wore suicide vests.

The attacks were timed to coincide with the weekly Friday prayers, 1:40 p.m., when both mosques were packed. The Model Town assault ended relatively quickly, but at Garhi Shahu, a siege involving hundreds of hostages continued for about four hours until police commandos gained control.

Four million to 5 million Ahmadis live in Pakistan, where they are treated under the law as non-Muslims for beliefs that many mainstream Muslims consider heretical.

Ahmadis believe that Muhammad wasn't the last prophet and are frequently victims of intimidation and violence.

At least 80 people were killed in the two attacks, and more than 80 were wounded, said Sajjad Bhutta, Lahore's deputy commissioner. A breakdown for each location was not immediately available.

The attack highlighted the extremist threat in Pakistan's heartland Punjab province, of which Lahore is the bustling capital.

Federal officials have accused the Punjab provincial government of downplaying the menace it faces and tolerating religious hard-liners.

Ahmadis are reviled as heretics by mainstream Muslims for their belief that their sect's founder was a savior foretold by the Quran, Islam's holy book. The group has experienced years of state-sanctioned discrimination and occasional attacks by radical Sunni Muslims in Pakistan, but never before in such a large-scale fashion.

Munawar Ali Shahid, who was worshipping at the Garhi Shahu mosque at the time of the attack, said he saved himself by running into another part of the building where many people then locked themselves in.

"There was continuous firing for four hours. When I came out and went to the main hall, there were dozens of bodies, maybe 50 or 60. The floor was flooded with blood. I also saw the bodies of two suicide attackers," Shahid said.

Most of the carnage at the Garhi Shahu mosque was caused by the suicide attackers.

At least one was caught alive. The others were shot by police or blew themselves up, but it's possible that some also escaped.

Many worshippers at the Model Town mosque saved themselves by barricading off part of the main prayer hall. According to one account, some of the grenades thrown had long fuses, allowing a former army officer present to hurl two of them back out before they exploded.

"We have written so many letters to the government of Punjab, to the IG (head of the Punjab police) about the threats we face, but they just ignored the situation," said Shahid, who's a leading member of the Ahmadi community, "What can we do? Nothing."

Rana Sanaullah, the law minister for the Punjab government, said police learned from a captured suicide bomber that the team of 10 to 12 terrorists had entered Lahore a week to 10 days ago from Waziristan and had been staying at a center for Muslim preachers on the edge of the city.

Under pressure from hard-liners, the Pakistani government in the 1970s declared the Ahmadis a non-Muslim minority. They are prohibited from calling themselves Muslims or engaging in Muslim practices such as reciting Islamic prayers.

Muslim leaders have accused Ahmadis of defying the basic tenet of Islam that says Muhammad was the final prophet; Ahmadis argue their leader was the savior rather than a prophet.

A U.S.-based Ahmadi spokesman, Waseem Sayed, said the sect abhors violence and is deeply concerned about the attacks. He estimated that worldwide, there are tens of millions of Ahmadis.

Material from The Associated Press is included in this report.