Pakistanis and Indian among six killed in Oman attack claimed by IS

Authorities in Muscat, the capital of Oman, report that a rare shooting incident near a Shia Muslim mosque has left six people—including a policeman—dead and 28 more injured.
A statement said that during the Monday night incident in the al-Wadi al-Kabir neighborhood, the three assailants were also slain by security officers.
The motivation and the identity of the gunman and victims were not disclosed by the police. However, Pakistan claimed that four of its citizens perished in a “terrorist attack” in the Imam Ali Mosque. India also reported that one of its nationals had died.
According to the Sunni Muslim terrorist organization Islamic State (IS), three of its militants took part in the assault.

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The group’s followers rejoiced over the shooting on social media.
IS has frequently attacked Shia worshippers, processions, and celebrations in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iraq. But in Oman, where the Shia are a minority, it has never before claimed an assault.
As gunshots could be heard, footage showed people within the mosque’s courtyard scrambling for safety. On the eve of Ashura, the Shia holy day, worshippers had congregated there.
The police statement noted that an inquiry into the incident’s circumstances was underway and it offered condolences to the families of the victims.
It further emphasized “the necessity of obtaining information from official sources and disregarding unreliable information” .

The assault “deeply saddened” Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who also sent his sympathy “out to the families of the victims”.
“I have instructed the Pakistan embassy in Muscat to extend all possible assistance to the injured and visit the hospitals personally,” he wrote in a post on X.

“Pakistan stands in solidarity with the Sultanate of Oman and offers full assistance in the investigation.”

The four Pakistanis that were slain were identified as Ghulam Abbas, Hasan Abbas, Sayyed Qaisar Abbas, and Sulaiman Nawaz by the Pakistani consulate in Muscat. It further stated that thirty Pakistanis were being treated at a hospital.
In a video released on Tuesday morning, Pakistani ambassador Imran Ali claimed to have visited many injured patients at three nearby hospitals and to have given them “relatively safe” status.
In addition, he counseled Pakistani citizens living in Oman to cooperate with local authorities and stay away from al-Wadi al-Kabir.
The assailants had first started fire from a building near to the mosque, where hundreds of people had gathered for a prayer service, Mr. Ali later told the AFP news agency.

He added that the worshipers had been taken “hostage” by terrorists and that “Oman forces later freed them.”
The Omani foreign ministry notified India’s embassy that one Indian person had been murdered and another injured, but it did not name them.
On the eve of Ashura, on the ninth day of the Islamic month of Muharram, Shia Muslims perform rites. This is when the shooting took place. Ashura is a significant celebration honoring Imam Hussein, the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson, who was killed in battle in the seventh century.
In the footage taken inside the Imam Ali Mosque, several of the attendees can be heard yelling “O God,” “O Hussein,” and “I am here, O Hussein” as the attack occurs nufolded.

One of the Middle East’s most safe and stable nations has long been considered to be Oman. This has made it possible for it to take the lead in attempts to mediate conflicts and disagreements in the area.
There are over 4.6 million people living in the Gulf sultanate, and almost 40% of them are foreign laborers.

Statistics pertaining to religious affiliation are not released by the government.
With 45% Sunni, 45% Ibadi, and 5% Shia, the US State Department calculates that 95% of the population is Muslim. The remaining 5% are Christians, Buddhists, and Hindus.