ICC Note:

On September 2, terrorists from an offshoot of the Pakistani Taliban attacked a Christian community in Pakistan’s northwestern city of Peshawar. Thanks to the actions of a church security guard and local security forces, a massacre of Christians was averted. According to reports, the terrorist where heavily armed and wore suicide vests when they attacked the Christian neighborhood of 30 families. Christians and their places of worship have become a soft target for terrorists in Pakistan, prompting the government to take more action to secure these areas. Thankfully, security forces were able to avoid a massacre this time. 

9/16/2016 Pakistan (The Nation) – A massacre of a Christian community near Warsak Dam, Peshawar was prevented by alert security forces, in what is being called a ‘first’ for a Christian community in Pakistan.

“Though in great fear of another attack, Pakistani Christians have praised security forces. The current government have a long way to go but are exhibiting signs of good governance towards minorities,” said chairman of the British Pakistani Christian Association.

“The fact that Christians are so often the target in terrorist plots is starting to register and security strategies have improved as a consequence. Even then, something has to be done to exterminate both the extremists group and the pervading hatred for minorities amongst the general populace, that together make life for Pakistani Christians and other minorities in Pakistan untenable,” he added.

The Christian community that came under attack is located near the Warsak Dam on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. The community, which consists of about 30 families, consists of houses, a small school and a church.

Four suicide bombers from Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a faction of the Pakistani Taliban, infiltrated the community from inside Afghanistan in the early morning hours of September 2, storming the church at 6 am in an attempt to assassinate all the Christian worshippers.

Because of the early hour, only the security guard was present, but he was able to hold off the attackers and call Pakistani security agencies until his ammunition ran out and he was killed by the terrorists.

Pakistani intelligence agencies, who had intercepted communications between the attackers and their handlers, say the intended target was a nearby military camp and school.

When the attackers saw that avenue had been thwarted, they opted for the Christian community, which they hoped to fully wipe out.

After killing the security guard at the empty church, they decided to blow themselves up inside individual Christian homes.

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