MOSCOW, November 24 (RIA Novosti) – Seven people were killed in Pakistan on Saturday and at least 18 others injured when a bomb exploded near a Shiite procession in the Peshawar region, Pakistani media reported.
Police said up to 10 kilograms of locally-made explosives were used in the bomb, which was planted in a garbage dumpster near the religious event, Geo News reported Saturday.
The procession was meant to mark a Shiite holy day, and security forces throughout the country had been placed on high alert ahead of time, Dawn.com reported. The Pakistani authorities also reportedly shut off mobile communications in what they said was a prevenatitve measure against terrorism.
Muslims are currently celebrating Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar, which began on November 14. The tenth day of the month, the Day of Ashura, is commemorated by Shiites.
Pakistan has long been gripped by religious and sectarian violence, which the Pakistanti authorities have struggled to contain since the outbreak of the war against terrorism in Afghanistan.
Peshawar, in the country's northwest tribal regions near the Afghan border, has been particularly susceptible to sectarian violence in recent years.
