New Delhi: At least 16 people were killed and more than 50 others injured after a massive explosion at a mosque near the old Police Lines in Kohat district of Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Friday, officials said.
The blast triggered panic in the area as Friday prayers were underway at the police mosque. Rescue teams from the local administration and police rushed to the site and launched an operation to evacuate those trapped and assist the injured.
Massive Explosion Hits Mosque Near Police Lines
Videos and photographs circulating on social media showed the intensity of the explosion, with walls and parts of buildings damaged and people rushing to help those affected.
Rescue 1122 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa spokesperson Bilal Ahmad Faizi said rescue teams were assessing the situation and that the wounded had been shifted to nearby hospitals.
The rescue operation remained underway as authorities assessed the extent of the damage and casualties.
No Group Claims Responsibility Yet
As of now, no group has claimed responsibility for the explosion.
Some unconfirmed reports have claimed that the blast was a suicide bombing allegedly carried out by Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen Pakistan (IMP), a militant group formed in April last year that reportedly opposes Pakistani security forces and rivals the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
However, the claim regarding the identity of the attackers and the nature of the blast has not been independently confirmed.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Faces Repeated Militant Violence
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa remains one of Pakistan’s most violence-affected regions, with militant groups, including the TTP, involved in repeated clashes and attacks against Pakistani security forces.
A study by Pakistan’s Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (ICSS) said IMP had been responsible for multiple attacks, including suicide bombings, in North Waziristan since its emergence. The study also noted that loyalists of Jamaat-ul-Ahrar (JuA), another group that rivals the TTP, could join IMP.
Earlier on Friday, Pakistani security forces claimed they had neutralised 10 TTP militants in two separate intelligence-based operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa carried out between Tuesday and Thursday.
According to Pakistan’s military media wing, six TTP militants were killed after security forces targeted a militant hideout in North Waziristan, while four others were killed in an operation in Hangu district.