ISIS Claims Murders Of 4 Christians In Pakistan

ISIS says it was behind a terrorist attack on a Christian family in Quetta, Pakistan, that killed four people one day after Easter Sunday. The relatives had been riding in a rickshaw when motorcycle-riding gunmen opened fire on them.

Three men and a woman died in the attack. A fifth person riding in the rickshaw — a 12-year-old girl — survived and was taken to the hospital, Pakistan's Dawn news agency says.

From Islamabad, NPR's Diaa Hadid reports:

"By targeting the family on the road, the gunmen found a weak link: Pakistani forces had stepped up security around churches, to stop militants who target Christians on their holiest days. But the roads are still vulnerable.

"The family was traveling in Quetta, a garrison town near the Afghan border. It's the same town where ISIS militants stormed a church compound right before Christmas. They killed nine people."

According to Pakistan's Express Tribune, roughly 2 percent of Pakistan's population is Christian.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
  • Flipboard
Bill Chappell is a writer and editor on the News Desk in the heart of NPR's newsroom in Washington, D.C.
Related Content
  1. Some Wyoming Republicans want to limit the secretary of state after Trump's pick wins
  2. This reservation has Wyoming's strictest COVID-19 rules. Student athletes are glad
  3. Media Fascination With The Petito Mystery Looks Like Racism To Some Native Americans
  4. How Hindus In Wyoming Are Celebrating Diwali, the 'Festival Of Lights,' Amid Pandemic