IED event in Islamabad, Khadijah al-KubraImambargah, Tarlai area, Pakistan on Fri 6th February 2026

At least 32 Shia worshippers were killed and more than 169 others sustained injured when a suicide bomber blew himself up through Khadijah al-KubraImambargah (Shia place of worship) in the Tarlai area of Islamabad on February 6, reports The Express Tribune. The explosion went off just as worshippers were offering Friday prayers at Imambargah Khadijah al-Kubra on the outskirts of Islamabad. The Islamic State Pakistan Province (ISPP) claimed the responsibility of the attack, adding that Saifullah Ansari carried out the suicide bombing. Addressing the media, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Minister of State Talal Chaudhry said the suicide bomber was identified, adding that although he was not Afghan, he had "travelled to Afghanistan". “He is not an Afghan citizen, but the information about how many times he travelled to Afghanistan has reached us after forensic examination of the rest of his body,” he said. The suicide bomber has been identified as Yasir Khan, a resident of Peshawar. According to preliminary information, Khan had stayed in Afghanistan for approximately five months before returning to Pakistan. Khan is believed to have received militant training during his stay in the Mansoor Istashhadi training centre in Northeastern Afghan province of Kunar, and travelled to and from Afghanistan multiple times. Further, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif blamed what he described as an “India-Afghanistan nexus” for the Imambargah carnage. In a post on X (erstwhile twitter), he stated that it had been established that the attacker had travelled to and from Afghanistan and that evidence was emerging of links between India and the Taliban.|Meanwhile, two brothers of the suicide bomber and four other individuals have been taken into custody in connection with the Islamabad suicide blast, ARY News reported on February 6, citing Government sources. Sources confirmed that a raid was conducted at the address listed on the attacker’s CNIC (Identity Card), leading to several arrests. According to sources, the detainees were in close contact with the bomber and have been moved to an undisclosed location for further interrogation.