SRINAGAR: At least 27 people were killed and dozens of others injured after a suicide bomber targeted a mosque inside a police complex in Pakistan’s north-western city of Kohat during Friday prayers, authorities said, according to multiple media reports.
The bombing occurred in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, close to the Afghan border, as worshippers assembled for prayers, Al Jazeera reported. Provincial police chief Zulfikar Hameed said an explosives-laden vehicle was driven into the mosque’s entrance, after which gunmen tried to enter the police compound and exchanged fire with security personnel.
At least 15 police officers and six civilians were among those killed. Reports differed on the number of injured, with estimates ranging from more than 50 to 75. Dr Tahir Shah said at least 15 bodies and over 50 injured people had been shifted to hospitals, according to DPA. Senior rescue official Bilal Faizi told the Associated Press that most of the injured were worshippers.
A faction of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as the Pakistan Taliban, claimed responsibility for the attack. Ittehadul Mujahideen, a group linked to Taliban commander Hafiz Gul Bahadur, also said it had carried out the bombing, according to Al Jazeera.
Al Jazeera correspondent Kamal Hyder, reporting from Islamabad, said at least six attackers were killed during the gun battle that followed the explosion. The blast caused severe damage to the mosque and collapsed the police station’s outer wall. Residents said the explosion was audible from a considerable distance.
The attack came a day after a roadside bomb struck a security forces convoy in north-western Hangu district, killing six soldiers. Pakistani military and police officials said security forces also carried out raids in several areas on Thursday, killing 10 suspected Taliban fighters.
Pakistan has repeatedly accused Afghanistan’s Taliban government of permitting the TTP and other armed groups to operate from Afghan territory, allegations denied by officials in Kabul. The TTP is separate from, but allied with, the Afghan Taliban, which returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021. Pakistan and Afghanistan have subsequently experienced intermittent cross-border attacks.
Michael Semple, a visiting professor at Queen’s University Belfast and former EU representative in Afghanistan, told Al Jazeera that an operation of such complexity would have required significant planning, logistical arrangements and training.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the bombing and ordered authorities to accelerate rescue efforts. The Interior Ministry also condemned what it described as the attackers’ “cowardly actions”, saying the incident would not weaken the country’s resolve.
