EASTER HORROR:
CHRISTIANS KILLED AT AMUSEMENT PARK 'What kind of people target little children?'
At least 65 people were killed when an explosion tore through a crowded amusement park in Pakistan where Christians were celebrating Easter.
Reuters reported a Taliban faction, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar,
claimed responsibility for the attack and said Christians specifically were the
target of the blast. At least 300 people were injured when the bomb went off in
the eastern city of Lahore.
Gulshan-e-Iqbal Park is
a popular site for members of Lahore’s Christian community, many of whom had
gone there to celebrate the Easter weekend holiday.
A suicide bomber is
suspected as responsible. The explosion reportedly occurred just outside the
exit gate and near children’s rides. Most of the dead are women and children.
Witnesses reported seeing body parts strewn across the parking lot after the
dust settled. "When the blast occurred, the flames were so high they
reached above the trees and I saw bodies flying in the air," Hasan Imran,
30, told Reuters.
"It was overcrowded
because of Easter, there were a lot of Christians there," said Javed Ali,
a 35-year-old who lives near the park. "It was so crowded I told my family
not to go." Fox News reports footage broadcast on local television
stations showed chaotic scenes in the park, with people running while carrying
children and cradling the wounded in their laps.
Women and children,
screaming and crying as they stood in pools of blood outside the park, waited
for rescue workers. Police, officials, and bystanders transported the injured
to local hospitals in ambulances as well as private cars, taxis and even
auto-rickshaws. Hundreds of people lined up to donate blood.
"We were just here
to have a nice evening and enjoy the weather," Nasreen Bibi said at the
Services Hospital, crying as she waited for doctors to update her on the
condition of her toddler. "May God shower his wrath upon these attackers.
What kind of people target little children in a park?"
Ehsanullah Ehsan, a
spokesman for the Jamaat-ul-Ahrar faction, confirmed: "The target was
Christians. We want to send this message to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif that we
have entered Lahore. He can do what he wants but he won't be able to stop us.
Our suicide bombers will continue these attacks."
Authorities closed
public parks and shopping areas after the blast. Some distraught, hysterical
relatives clashed with rescue officials and police. The army was called in to
help with crowd control.
U.S. National Security
Council spokesman Ned Price issued a statement: "The United States
condemns in the strongest terms today's appalling terrorist attack in Lahore,
Pakistan. This cowardly act in what has long been a scenic and placid park has
killed dozens of innocent civilians and left scores injured. We send our
deepest condolences to the loved ones of those killed, just as our thoughts and
prayers are with the many injured in the explosion.
"The United States
stands with the people and Government of Pakistan at this difficult hour. We
will continue to work with our partners in Pakistan and across the region, as
together we will be unyielding in our efforts to root out the scourge of
terrorism."
The U.S. is considered a
strategic ally of Pakistan, a nuclear-armed nation of 190 million plagued by a
Taliban insurgency, criminal gangs and sectarian violence.
Christians account for
less than 2 percent of the country's mostly Muslim population. Reuters notes
Islamist militants in Pakistan have attacked Christians and other religious
minorities often over the past decade. Many Christians accuse the government of
doing little to protect them, saying politicians are quick to offer condolences
after an attack but slow to take any concrete steps to improve security.
http://www.wnd.com/2016/03/easter-terror-christians-killed-at-amusement-park/
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