A devastating attack has shaken north-western Pakistan after an explosives-laden vehicle rammed into a local mosque, leaving at least 16 people dead – among the fatalities are five serving police officers, a senior Peshawar-based police official has confirmed.
The violence unfolded in the Kohat district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where clashes between remaining attackers and state security forces are still active hours after the initial bombing. According to on-ground law enforcement accounts, one assailant has been eliminated by security personnel, and a large-scale rescue operation is currently in progress to extract survivors and clear the blast site.
Following the attack, Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari released an official statement extending his deepest condolences to the families of those killed in the incident, and expressed his earnest hope for quick and full recovery for all people wounded in the explosion.
The attack marks another episode of violent unrest in the restive north-western region of Pakistan, which has long faced repeated insurgent attacks targeting civilian and security infrastructure.