UN agency calls killing of children ‘unconscionable’ as authorities arrest five suspects linked to Daesh
Paramilitary soldiers stand guard at the scene after a deadly explosion at an imambargah on the outskirts of Islamabad on February 6, 2026. PHOTO: REUTERS
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) condemned the deadly attack that occurred at an imambargah in Islamabad.
“UNICEF strongly condemns the devastating attack that occurred yesterday at a place of worship in Islamabad, which reportedly claimed the lives of six children,” the organization said in a statement. “The murder of children is unacceptable and constitutes a serious violation of their rights.”
The UN agency extended its deepest condolences to the families of the victims and the communities affected by the attack.
Read: 32 martyred in Imambagah suicide bombing in Islamabad; Government blames ‘Indo-Afghan nexus’
UNICEF stressed that children should never be targets of violence. “No child should ever be a target or exposed to violence. Children must be protected at all times,” the statement said.
Friday’s attack on Imambargah Khadijah al-Kubra was the deadliest in Islamabad in more than a decade and the deadliest in the country since the Peshawar mosque bombing in January 2023.
According to authorities and hospital officials, at least 32 people were killed and around 169 injured when a suicide bomber attacked the imambargah. The explosion occurred as worshipers gathered for jumma (Friday) prayers and was accompanied by explosions and gunshots.
On Saturday, Pakistani authorities made a breakthrough in the investigation of the attack, arresting four facilitators and an Afghan mastermind linked to the Islamic State (Daesh), security sources said.
Read more: Four Daesh facilitators and mastermind arrested in Imambargah suicide attack in Islamabad
According to investigators, the suicide bomber was identified as Yasir, a resident of Peshawar. His four facilitators were arrested, including people who were allegedly providing facilitation in the Rawalpindi area.
Authorities had earlier said that Yasir’s two brothers, Bilal and Nasir, and his brother-in-law Usman were arrested in the Tarnab Farm area, while his mother was detained at a house in an upscale section of Islamabad.
