Earlier this morning, prayers in Peshawar Pakistan came to a sudden stop as a suicide bomber detonated an explosive, killing a confirmed number of 32 people and injuring close to 150 others. The explosion caused a wall and ceiling to collapse on citizens, causing them to be trapped under debris.

Sarbakaf Mohmand, the leader of the Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack on Twitter not long after the dust cleared from the horrific scene. This is the worst suicide bombing attack since last March. The mission is thought to have been a targeted attack on the police force considering that most of the people killed were serving officers. 

There has been a recent uptick in the organization’s activities since the official end of the Taliban’s cease-fire with the Pakistani government earlier this past November. Peshawar has a large presence of Taliban influence, which allows the believers to utilize their capabilities in order to strike soft targets like mosques.

This event was one of the deadliest uses of aggression in recent years, adding to the building tensions between the Pakistani Taliban and the government. ??Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has responded, exposing his first concern as making sure the victims receive the proper medical attention necessary to recover from critical injuries. His other priority rests in taking “stern action” in response to these recent offensive measures. 

One of the militant participants spoke out saying that the attack was a revenge mission for the death of Abdul Wali, who was killed in Afghanistan’s Paktika region last August. 

Pakistan is facing extreme challenges between the recent floods, requests for IMF funding, and the Taliban regaining control in neighboring Afghanistan. Unfortunately, the victims of civil unrest are mostly innocent civilians. Pakistan is in the midst of this dangerous reality and in this case, the police force is paying the price of extremist beliefs.