Attacks target Pakistan minority

LAHORE, Pakistan – Islamist gunmen and a suicide squad lobbed grenades, sprayed bullets from atop a minaret and took hostages Friday in attacks on two mosques packed with worshippers from a minority sect in Pakistan. At least 80 people were killed and dozens wounded.

The strikes – the deadliest against the Ahmadi community – highlight the threat to minority religious groups by the same militants who have repeatedly attacked Pakistan’s U.S.-allied government.

The tactics echoed those militants have used against government, foreign and security targets in Pakistan, but they had never before been directed against a religious minority.

Two teams of heavily armed attackers – seven men in total – staged the raids minutes apart, seizing hostages and apparently planning to fight to the death. Three died when they detonated their suicide vests. Two were captured.

Shiite Muslims have borne the brunt of individual suicide bombings and targeted killings for years in Sunni-majority Pakistan, though Christians and Ahmadis have also faced violence. The long-standing sectarian violence in the country has been exacerbated by the rise of the Sunni extremist Taliban and al-Qaida movements.

Pakistan’s Geo TV channel said the Punjab province branch of the Pakistani Taliban had claimed responsibility. Repeated attempts by the Associated Press to reach the group were not successful.