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The death toll from the suicide bombing and subsequent gun battle at a mosque inside a police complex in Pakistan’s northwestern city of Kohat has risen to 27, including 15 police officers and six civilians.
The attack took place during Friday prayers when an explosives-laden vehicle was rammed into the mosque entrance at the police headquarters. Armed attackers then attempted to enter the compound, triggering a gun battle with police.
Dozens of people were injured in the attack, most of them worshippers. The mosque was badly damaged, while the outer wall of the police complex collapsed in the blast.
A faction of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), known as Ittehadul Mujahideen and linked to Taliban commander Hafiz Gul Bahadur, claimed responsibility for the attack.
Provincial police chief Zulfikar Hameed confirmed the suicide bombing. At least six attackers were killed during the ensuing gun battle, according to local officials.
Kohat is in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, near the Afghan border and close to areas that have witnessed frequent militant attacks.
Pakistan has repeatedly accused Afghanistan’s Taliban government of allowing the TTP and other armed groups to operate from Afghan territory. Kabul denies the allegations. Tensions between the two countries have intensified amid a series of cross-border attacks and militant violence.