A devastating suicide bombing struck a mosque inside a pro-Taliban seminary in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Akkora Khattak on Friday, killing at least five worshippers and injuring many others just before Ramzan, local police reported. Abdul Rashid, the district police chief, confirmed that investigations are underway, and the victims are being taken to hospitals. No group has claimed responsibility yet for the attack on Jamia Haqqania, a seminary known for its ties to the Afghan Taliban, according to the Associated Press.
The explosion comes just ahead of the holy month of Ramzan, expected to begin this weekend depending on the moon sighting.
Jamia Haqqania, sometimes referred to as the “University of Jihad,” has long been associated with producing Taliban fighters and follows a strict ideological doctrine. The institution, which houses around 4,000 students, provides free education, food, and lodging.
For decades, madrassas in Pakistan have been criticized for fostering extremism, often serving as the only educational option for impoverished refugees. The seminary has notable alumni, including Mullah Omar, the late founder of the Taliban, who led an insurgency against U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan.
Following the attack, Afghanistan’s Taliban government strongly condemned the bombing, denouncing the violence at a religious school with deep-rooted ties to the Taliban movement.
