Pakistan Army says 100 suspected 'terrorists' killed after Sufi shrine attack

The Pakistan Army on Friday said that they have killed more than 100 suspected terrorists after a suicide bomb attack at a crowded Sufi shrine -- Lal Shahbaz Qalandar -- in Sindh province resulted in a loss of at least 88 lives.

The Pakistani Armed Forces' media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said that a "sizeable" number of suspects were also arrested since the bombing, where an Islamic State (ISIS) group suicide bomber blew himself at the shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar in Sehwan. Hundreds of people were reportedly gathered there for Thursday prayers.

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The ISPR statement, however, did not mention where the suspected terrorists were killed or about the arrests of the suspects, only mentioning that the details will be shared with the public soon.

Pakistan Army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa had reacted strongly to the terror attack on Thursday and had said that the Pak forces would avenge the death of the innocent lives. He also added that no restraint will be shown for anyone suspected of being behind the attack.

Reports state that the Pakistan Army has launched several combing operations across the country, even in the Punjab province. "Intelligence agencies are making progress to unearth networks behind recent (terrorist) incidents," Pakistan Armed Forces, Major General Asif Ghafoor said. He did not provide any additional details, according to the Press Trust of India.

Soon after the explosion, Pakistan claimed that it was carried out by the militant sanctuaries from across the border in Afghanistan.

The Pak military subsequently on Friday announced that the Pakistan-Afghanistan border has been indefinitely sealed. Major Ghafoor also made the announcement through his Twitter account stating, "Pakistan-Afghanistan Border closed with immediate effects till further orders due to security reasons." The move is set to renew the hostilities between Islamabad and Kabul.

The Pakistan Army also summoned Afghan diplomats on Friday to the general headquarters in Rawalpindi, where the officials were handed a list of at least 76 terrorists hiding across the border in Afghanistan and directing terrorist activities in Pakistan.

"Afghan government has been asked to target them and hand them over to Pakistan...army is for security of people of Pakistan against all types of threat. Nation to stay steadfast with full confidence in their security forces," army chief Bajwa was quoted as saying in the statement.

The Islamic State (ISIS) group claimed the attack through its Aamaq news agency, saying that a suicide bomber had targeted a "Shiite gathering" at the shrine in Sindh. The terrorist organisation also released a picture, purportedly of the suicide bomber.