A bombing near a mosque at a police compound in Kohat, Pakistan, killed at least 16 people on Friday, according to police cited by DW. The attack took place in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, near the Afghan border, during ongoing rescue operations.
Provincial police chief Zulfikar Hameed told Reuters that five police personnel were among those killed. A rescue official told AFP that the dead included five police officers, 10 civilians and the attacker. Reports on the number of wounded varied, with estimates placing the total above 30 and possibly above 50.
The explosives-laden car caused a large blast and damaged a mosque at the facility, according to the source. Police said the explosion occurred as officers, their relatives and other civilians were worshipping inside. After the blast, police and other attackers reportedly exchanged gunfire when at least two additional militants tried to enter the compound.
No group immediately claimed responsibility. President Asif Ali Zardari blamed the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, referring to the group by another term and saying that eliminating it and militants allegedly operating with foreign backing was essential for national security. The source did not report an independent confirmation of the president’s attribution.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack, expressed sorrow over the casualties and instructed officials to speed up rescue operations. Pakistan’s Interior Ministry said the attack would not weaken the country’s resolve.
The bombing comes amid strained relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities. Islamabad alleges that the TTP uses safe havens across the Afghan border to plan and train for attacks in Pakistan. Pakistan has also blamed the Taliban administration for increased violence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, while Kabul has condemned Pakistani airstrikes on alleged militant targets and reported civilian casualties, according to DW.