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Suicide Bombing At Pakistani Shi'ite Mosque Kills At Least 12

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Pakistan
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RFE-RL
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Pakistani officials say a suicide bombing at a Shi'ite shrine in the country's southwest has killed at least 12 people and wounded dozens.

The attack took place on October 5 in the Jhal Magsi district, which is located about 300 kilometers east of Quetta, the capital of Balochistan Province.

Scores of people had gathered at the Dargah Fatehpur shrine when the explosion hit.

Anwarul Haq Kakar, the spokesman for the provincial governor, said the dead and wounded were being taken to nearby hospitals.

No group has immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing.

Similar attacks in the past have been claimed by Sunni extremist groups like the Pakistani Taliban and Islamic State, which consider Shi'ites as apostates.

The resource-rich Balochistan Province -- which borders Afghanistan and Iran -- has been plagued by sectarian violence, Islamist militant attacks, and a separatist insurgency that has led to thousands of casualties since 2004.

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