Islamabad – A suicide bomber blew himself up among worshipers at a mosque in north-western Pakistan on Friday, killing 17 people and wounding over two dozen others, officials said.
The attack in Mohmand tribal district near the Afghan border was the latest in a string of bombings to hit Pakistan in recent weeks after months of calm.
The bomber hit the mosque as people were coming out of the compound after Friday prayers, local administration official Siraj Khan told dpa.
The blast caused a part of the building to collapse, local administration chief Naveed Akbar said.
At least 29 injured people were taken to the hospital in nearby Bajaur town, doctor Khan Saeed said, adding that all of them are in a stable condition.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack so far.
Taliban insurgents have presence in parts of Mohmand and in areas across the border in Afghanistan.
Pakistan’s lawless tribal regions on the Afghan border were long controlled by Islamist militants linked to al-Qaeda before being pushed back by the military in a series of offensives launched June 2014 onwards.
But their ability to carry out surprise attacks against so-called “soft civilian” targets remains intact.
(Picture shows Pakistani soldiers on patrol near a military compound in the mountainous area of the Mohamad Gat tribal district)
-dpa
