Taleban suspected for Pakistan mosque attack

Pakistani authorities have raised the possibility that Taleban fugitives and their al Qaeda allies massacred 44 Shi'ite Muslims at a mosque in the southwest Pakistani town of Quetta.

The attack on Friday was the first use of a suicide bomber in Pakistan's bitter sectarian conflict between extremist Shi'ite and Sunni Muslims. It came a few weeks after a former Taleban military commander said the ousted Sunni Muslim movement would begin using suicide squads against its foes.

President Pervez Musharraf said the attackers could have come from outside Pakistan, adding "if there is any external hand in this incident, we will find out".

Shi'ite Muslims beat their chests and wailed at a mass funeral for victims, who included four children aged from 5 to 11.