Lahore (AsiaNews) - Today in Lahore armed groups attacked, two mosques belonging to the Ahmadi sect during Friday prayer. The sect is considered heretical by main-stream Islam. One of the mosques are located in an area of Model Town and the other in the crowded area of Garhi Shahu.
The battle is still ongoing with gunfire and grenade attacks. Police report that there are deaths and injuries and that the gunmen have taken hostages and have barricaded themselves inside the mosque. Some armed men are on the roof of one of the mosques and engaged in a shoot-out with police.
An unofficial source said there are at least nine people killed and 10 injured. The terrorists entered the mosque where at least 1500 people were gathered in prayer. According to these sources, the Punjab section of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, the terrorist organization of Pakistani Taliban, has claimed responsibility.
The Ahmadis claim to be Muslims, but do not recognize Muhammad as the last prophet and for this are considered heretics, and suffer heavy violence and ostracism by the fundamentalist Muslims in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Indonesia. The Ahmadi community in Pakistan is composed of approximately three million members, mostly residing in Punjab.