Bomb attack at Pakistan mosque kills at least 27

ISLAMABAD, Sept 18: A suicide bomb attack at a mosque and subsequent gun battle in Pakistan’s restive northwest have killed at least 27 people, including six civilians and 15 police officers, with dozens of others injured.

As worshippers gathered for Friday prayers, an explosive-laden car was rammed into the entrance of a mosque at a police headquarters in Kohat. The city is in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa near the Afghan border, A faction of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as the Pakistan Taliban, claimed responsibility. IttehadulMujahideen, which means Mujahideen alliance, and is linked to Taliban commander Hafiz Gul Bahadur, said they carried out the suicide bomb attack.

Provincial police chief Zulfikar Hameed confirmed the suicide bombing. After the explosion, gunmen attempted to enter the police compound and exchanged fire with officers.

At least 15 bodies and more than 50 injured were taken to hospital, said Dr Tahir Shah, according to the dpa news agency.

Sources told Al Jazeera that at least 75 people were injured.

Senior rescue official Bilal Faizi said most of the wounded were worshippers, reported The Associated Press.

The mosque was badly damaged and the police station’s outer wall collapsed. Residents said the blast was heard some distance away.

Al Jazeera’s Kamal Hyder, reporting from Islamabad, said at least six of the attackers were killed in the fighting. He added that Pakistan accuses the Afghan Taliban of allowing the TTP and other groups that orchestrate attacks to operate from Afghan territory. Officials in Kabul deny the accusation.�" AL JAZEERA