Pakistani Taliban claim suicide bombing that kills 12 in Islamabad

The Pakistani Taliban claimed a suicide bombing that killed at least 12 people in Islamabad on Tuesday, a rare attack by the militant group on the country's capital.

The first such attack to hit the city in years sent people fleeing in panic, leaving shattered glass and charred vehicles on the road outside district court buildings.

"Judges, lawyers and officials who carried out rulings under Pakistan's un-Islamic laws were targeted," the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) said, threatening more attacks until Islamic law is implemented in the Muslim-majority country.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said 12 people were killed and 27 wounded when the assailant detonated explosives near a police vehicle.

A lawyer at the scene, Mohammed Shahzad Butt, said there was a "massive blast".

"Everyone started running inside out of panic. I have seen at least five dead bodies lying at the front gate," he told AFP.

An AFP journalist saw paramilitary troops cordoning off the site of the attack, which struck an area that also houses several government offices.

Rustam Malik, another lawyer, told AFP he "heard a loud bang at the gate" as he was entering the complex.

"It was complete chaos, lawyers and people were running inside the complex. I saw two dead bodies lying on the gate and several cars were on fire," said Malik.

The bombing follows the Indian capital Delhi being hit by a car explosion Monday, which killed at least eight people.

The prime minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif, earlier accused the TTP and separatists from the country's Balochistan region, both of whom have carried out attacks mostly on security forces.

Islamabad has largely been spared major militant violence in recent years, with the last suicide attack occurring in December 2022.