Takfiris continue to attack Shias in Pakistan
Sectarian violence spread in Pakistan on Monday after clashes between minority Shia and majority Sunni Muslims near the capital Islamabad prompted the government to impose a curfew and block mobile phone services over the weekend.
According to Reuters, clashes confined to areas in and around the capital at the weekend spilled over on Monday into two towns in the volatile northwest.
Tensions are high this month as Shias mark Muharram, an annual period of mourning which has often sparked bouts of violence.
Rawalpindi, a garrison city near Islamabad, remained under curfew and tight security for three days after an attack on a Shia procession on Friday in which at least eight people were killed.
On Monday, a mob set shops on fire in a predominantly Shia district in the northwestern town of Kohat in clashes that killed two policemen and a civilian, police said.
According to Shia news, Takfiri terrorists of the outlawed Sipah-e-Sahaba attacked a Shia mosque, an Imam Bargah (Husseinia), and a commercial market in the city of Kohat in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Monday.
Takfiri is an expression used to describe individuals or groups who believe they are the only true Muslims.
Two policemen were killed and several others were injured in the terrorist attacks.
The armed terrorists attacked Imam Bargah Syed Habib, where two policemen were killed and three were injured. In the Teera Bazaar, the terrorists set a market owned by Shias on fire.
The terrorists also attacked a Shia mosque in Kohat and it was reported that they were harassing people by sporadically firing gunshots, despite the imposition of a curfew.
Tension also prevailed in Hangu, where terrorists fired rockets on Thursday, November 14, which was the day of Ashura, with the intention of disturbing the peaceful observance of Ashura. A curfew was also imposed in Hangu.
During Muharram, a period of mourning to mark the death of Imam Hussein (AS), a grandson of Prophet Mohammed (S), Shias hold long processions to express their grief.
The authorities imposed a mobile phone blackout on Rawalpindi, the seat of the Pakistani army, and parts of Islamabad over the weekend. The curfew was only lifted on Monday, but the city remained tense.
Attacks on Pakistan's Shias, who make up about a fifth of the population of 180 million, have worsened in recent years.
Most of the attacks are the work of extremists affiliated with banned groups, such as the Taliban or Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, which wants to drive all the Shias out of Pakistan.
Hundreds of Shias were killed in bombings and other attacks last year, including incidents in which children on their way to school were gunned down and doctors heading for work were shot.
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