The Pakistani Taliban executed an imam at a mosque in the northwestern Pakistani district of Nowshera after he opposed their efforts to allow the mosque to be used as a base and a recruiting center. From The Express Tribune:
Obaidullah Ustad, imam of the Shaidu village mosque in Nowshera had earlier stopped militants from preaching “terrorist values” at the mosque. “It was because of this resistance that the militants returned later in the evening and shot him inside the mosque” District Police Officer (DPO)Muhammad Hussein said while speaking to The Express Tribune.
Obaidullah was severely injured and rushed to the hospital where he succumbed to his injuries hospital authorities said. Sources said that the militants wanted to have access to the mosque and use it as a base to find new recruits. The militants reportedly belonged to the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
The Taliban have been active in Nowshera for years, and have had no misgivings about conducting attacks at mosques. The Taliban have carried out two suicide attacks in mosques in Nowshera since June 2009. On March 4, 2011, a suicide bomber killed nine people in one such attack. And on June 12, 2009, a suicide bomber killed six people and wounded more than 90 in an attack inside a mosque; the attack collapsed the dome of the mosque.
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2 Comments
This was one brave man who believed in peace. I hope that his death is not in vane and that his followers resist this use of violence to force recruitment.
See, it’s not about religion. Its about criminals getting their way.