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