[Today’s Prayer] Armed Group Bombing in Pakistan… 11 Soldiers and 1 Child Killed

In Pakistan, a separatist militant group carried out a bombing attack, killing 12 people, including civilians, and injuring seven others.

According to AP, Reuters, and other news agencies on the 18th (local time), a suicide bomber detonated a bomb at a security post in the Bajaur district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province in northwestern Pakistan on the night of the 16th.

He drove a vehicle loaded with explosives into the wall of the security post, ignoring a stop sign from a Pakistani soldier.

Local police reported that 11 soldiers were killed and part of the post collapsed.

The blast also damaged a nearby civilian home, killing a girl and injuring seven civilians, including women.

Local police added that after the suicide bombing, militants attempted to enter the security post, resulting in a gunfight, during which 12 fleeing militants were killed. The Pakistani Taliban (TTP), a separatist militant group, claimed responsibility for the attack.

The Bajaur region has seen a series of casualties since security forces launched operations targeting militant members in August of last year.

The Pakistani military also killed 23 TTP members in two operations in November of last year in Bajaur and Bannu districts. Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif each issued statements condemning the attacks.

The TTP, an extremist group formed by Sunni Islamist militants, aims to overthrow the Pakistani government and establish a state based on Sharia law.

While distinct from the Afghan Taliban, they share a similar ideology and have reportedly maintained a long-standing cooperative relationship. They are known to have maintained a major hideout in Afghanistan and to travel back and forth between Pakistan and carry out various terrorist attacks.

In response, Pakistan has repeatedly criticized the Afghan Taliban regime for tolerating the activities of militants near the border, a charge Afghanistan denies.

(omitted)

Source: Nate News

And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power. (1 Corinthians 6:14)

We hear the news that a member of the separatist militant group from the Pakistani Taliban carried out a suicide bombing at a security checkpoint in the Bajaur region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province in northwestern Pakistan.

In the midst of this tragedy—where nearby civilian homes were damaged, a child was killed, and seven civilians were injured—we ask that the Lord would pour out His compassion upon the grieving families and the injured civilians, and wipe away every tear.

Please bring an end to all attacks by militant groups that commit acts of terror under Islamic law and instill fear among civilians. Be a refuge for the souls in Pakistan who are dying without cause, and let them come to know the fullness of God’s love.

Also, open the blinded eyes of the militant members who are bound under the power of Islam and who devote all their dreams, hopes, and lives before false idols. Grant them repentance, that they may be born again as those who place their eternal hope in God.

Just as the great God raised our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead, we pray that by Your power You would revive the broken worship in Pakistan. For this, send the global Church in abundance to the land of Pakistan to proclaim the true gospel and God’s vision.

Plant the seed of the gospel in all who long for truth, and grant firm faith to the Church in Pakistan so that, despite any darkness of Islam, they may follow the way of Christ until the Lord returns.

And so, may Pakistan become a final weapon of the gospel, proclaiming the name of Jesus Christ, the life, among all nations!