Dozens dead in bombing at Pakistan political rally

A suspected suicide bombing on Sunday killed at least 54 people in the Bajur district of western Pakistan near the border with Afghanistan. Nearly 200 others were injured. No groups have claimed responsibility for the attack, which occurred at a political rally. Suspicions have fallen on ISIS, which has been active in nearby Afghanistan

Why would the Islamic State attack this area? The party of pro-Taliban Pakistani politician Maulana Fazlur Rehman was holding a rally in the market in the Bajur capital where the attack took place. The district previously served as a stronghold for the Pakistani Taliban, which has supported the Taliban in Afghanistan. ISIS opposes the Afghan Taliban.

Dig deeper: Read Mary Muncy’s report in The Sift about a suicide bombing by a member of the Pakistani Taliban earlier this year.