Severed head of suspected Sufi shrine bomber found, Pakistan counter-terror unit confirms

Pakistan's Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) has confirmed that they have found the severed of the suspected suicide bomber from the site of the Sufi shrine blast in which more than 70 people were killed on 16 February.

Additional Inspector General of the CTD, Sanaullah Abbasi, told reporters that they will release DNA test reports of the severed head as well as fingerprints and DNA test reports of 17 blast victims on Thursday (2 March) to throw more light on the ongoing investigation.

Isis had claimed responsibility for the attack at the shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar in the city of Sehwan, following which Pakistani authorities said they killed over 100 militants along the border with Afghanistan.

Abbasi declined to comment on the arrests made in connection with the attack, but said most of the suspects were illegal Afghan migrants who possessed Pakistani identity cards. He also said their investigation has revealed the blast attackers were trained in Afghanistan and had also lived in Balochistan.

Abbasi said they will file cases against officials from the National Database Registration Authority, who were found to have issued computerised national identity cards to Afghan nationals.

When asked if they had prior intelligence on possible threats to the Qalandar shrine, he said there were threats to many public places, but no specific threat of an attack at the shrine.