E-Paper
At least 16 killed, over 50 injured in bombing near mosque in northwest Pakistan: Report
Police said a suicide bomber detonated explosives near the Special Branch building. They added that an exchange of fire was ongoing.
Prefer HTon Google
A blast near a mosque close to a police office complex in Pakistan on Friday killed at least 16 people and left over 50 people injured, according to local media reports citing officials.
The blast reportedly took place near a mosque close to the old Police Lines in Kohat, around 60 kilometres southwest of Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
What happened?
Provincial police chief Zulfiqar Hameed said the attacker appeared to have driven a vehicle loaded with explosives into the mosque, news agency AP reported. However, officers were continuing to investigate the incident.
Local police said at least two armed gunmen also tried to enter the police compound and exchanged fire with officers.
The explosion occurred during Friday prayers and left a crater outside the mosque, Geo News reported citing authorities. Police personnel were among those injured, it added.
The injured and deceased were taken to a nearby hospital. Police said the blast was powerful enough to cause massive damage to nearby shops and houses.
Videos shared on social media showed the mosque’s roof had caved in. Rescuers and local residents were seen removing injured people from the debris and taking them to ambulances.
Pakistan condemns attack
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack and offered condolences for those affected, according to a statement from his office. He ordered officials to speed up rescue efforts, ensure treatment for the injured and support people impacted by the incident.
Pakistan's interior ministry also mourned the loss of lives but did not disclose the number of deaths.
President Asif Ali Zardari condemned the attack and said that the complete elimination of “foreign-sponsored terrorists was essential for national security”.
Who is responsible for the attack?
No group had claimed responsibility for the bombing at the time. However, the Pakistani Taliban, officially known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, was likely to come under suspicion, as per reports.
The TTP has intensified attacks on security personnel and civilians over the past few years. In 2023, a suicide bomber killed 101 people inside a mosque in Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
The group operates independently of Afghanistan’s Taliban but maintains an alliance with it. The Afghan Taliban returned to power in 2021.
Pakistan has repeatedly accused Kabul of providing shelter to the TTP and ignoring militant attacks launched across the border. The Afghan government has rejected these accusations.
With inputs from agencies
