At least 16 people were killed and more than 56 others were injured when a car bomb exploded at a mosque inside a police headquarters in Kohat District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, northwestern Pakistan, on September 18.
The attack occurred during Friday prayers. According to reports, the attackers drove a vehicle loaded with explosives into the entrance of the mosque inside the police headquarters, causing a powerful explosion. Gunfire between the attackers and security forces was also reported following the blast.
Among those killed were five police officers and 10 civilians, according to emergency officials cited in media reports. Most of those injured were worshippers who had gathered at the mosque for Friday prayers.
Fifteen bodies and more than 50 injured people were initially transported to a local hospital. Medical officials said some of the injured were in critical condition, raising concerns that the death toll could increase.
The explosion damaged the mosque and caused part of the outer wall of the police headquarters to collapse. Security forces subsequently conducted search and clearance operations in the area.
Initial reports said that no group had immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. However, Al Jazeera later reported that a faction linked to the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) had claimed responsibility for the attack.
Kohat District is located near the Afghanistan border and is part of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where attacks by armed groups have frequently occurred. A day before the mosque attack, six soldiers were reportedly killed in a roadside bomb attack on a security forces convoy in Hangu District, also in northwestern Pakistan.
Ref: DHAKA POST, Al Jazeera, DPA, Reuters
