Deadly Mosque Blast in Pakistan Leaves 17 Dead and 73 Injured

At least 17 people have been killed and 73 others injured after a vehicle packed with explosives rammed into a mosque in Kohat, a city in north-western Pakistan.

The suicide attack occurred during Friday prayers inside a police facility, claiming the lives of seven police officers and a four-year-old child.

 

According to authorities, seven armed militants attempted to storm the police complex immediately after the blast, triggering a fierce gun battle in which all the attackers were killed.

While no group has claimed responsibility yet, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari condemned the assault as violence continues to rise along Pakistan's border regions.

 

Pakistani officials maintain that militants launch these attacks from bases in Afghanistan, though the Afghan Taliban denies the charge.