Bomb attack at Pakistan mosque kills at least 15, injures 50

A bomb attack at a mosque in Pakistan’s restive north-west has killed at least 15 people, with more than 50 reported injured as they gathered for Friday prayers.

An explosive-laden car was rammed into the entrance of a mosque at a police headquarters in Kohat, in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa near the Afghan border.

At least 15 bodies and more than 50 injured were taken to hospital, said Dr Tahir Shah, according to the dpa news agency. The death toll could rise as several injured people were in a critical condition, he added.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. However, both a regional affiliate of the ISIL armed group and the Pakistan Taliban (TTP) are active in the region and regularly target security forces.

Violence has surged in Pakistan’s remote regions near the Afghan border in recent years. Islamabad accuses Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers of allowing fighters who orchestrate attacks in Pakistan to operate from Afghan territory.

Officials in Kabul deny the accusation and cross-border attacks have been carried out in recent months.