Pakistan Taliban faction claims responsibility for blast in Lahore

A Pakistan Taliban faction claimed responsibility for the attack on Pakistan's elite police force in Lahore which took place near a Sufi shrine at Data Darbar on Wednesday.

"This attack was carried out at a time when there were no civilians near the police," said Abdul Aziz Yousafzai, spokesman for the Hizbul Ahrar terroristgroup, a faction of the Pakistani Taliban.

At least nine people were killed in the blast with several critically injured. Authorities said up to 24 people were wounded in the attack.

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"Police was the prime target in this attack. We are collecting forensic evidence to ascertain the nature of the blast. This attack has left nine dead and 24 injured," said Ashfaq Khan, deputy inspector general of police operations in Lahore.

The area hosts the largest Sufi shrine in South Asia which had come under attack in 2010 leading to the death of40 people. Police have said they werestill investigating the nature of the blast. However, sources have told WION that all indicators point towards a suicide explosion.

Three police officials, a security guard and a civilian were killed were among those killed in the attack, police said.

The blast may have been "a suicide attack" on a security vehicle, police official Muhammad Kashif was quoted as saying to AFP.

The Data Darbar complex contains the shrine of Saint Syed Ali bin Osman Al-Hajvery, popularly known as Data Ganj Bakhsh.