Pakistan's Worst Attack in Two Years Dents Improved Security Image
- Border with Afghanistan closed after suicide bombing at shrine
- Foreign flows into Pakistan up as China invests $55 billion
A Pakistani man helps his injured wife after an attack on Feb. 16.
Photographer: Yousuf Nagori/AFP via Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
Pakistan’s military blamed “hostile forces” in Afghanistan for its worst attack in two years, closing the porous border with its neighbor after a spate of bombings this week dented confidence over recent security gains in the South Asian nation.
At least 88 people were killed and 343 injured after a suicide bomber detonated explosives at a shrine near the southern city of Hyderabad on Thursday, said Sohail Jokhio, a police spokesman for Sindh province. Islamic State claimed responsibility and said at least 100 people were killed, according to SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors extremist media. The assault follows attacks in the cities of Lahore and Peshawar this week.