SEHWAN, Pakistan—Pakistani forces killed and arrested dozens of suspects in sweeping raids overnight and into Friday as the death toll from a massive suicide bombing by the ISIS terrorist group at a famed Sufi shrine in the country’s south the previous day rose to 80.
The terror attack—Pakistan’s deadliest in years—stunned the nation and raised questions about the authorities’ ability to rein in militant groups despite several military offensives targeting militant hideouts.
It also threatened to drive a deeper wedge between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Islamabad quickly lashed out at Kabul, saying the bombing was masterminded from across the border, in militant sanctuaries in Afghanistan.
Underscoring tensions, Pakistan fired a blistering round of artillery shells into Afghan territory and shut down the Torkham border crossing, a key commercial artery between the two neighbors.
Afghan police chief Gul Agha Roohani in eastern Nangarhar province told The Associated Press the artillery assault began on Friday morning, although there was no immediate confirmation from Pakistan.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani condemned the attack on the shrine. “Sufis always preach peace and brotherhood among people,” he said and added that “terrorists once again proved that they have no respect for Islamic values.”
