PESHAWAR, Pakistan ( Associated Press) — At least 27 people were killed and 147 wounded Monday in a suicide attack on a mosque in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar. Most of the victims were police officers and police personnel, as the temple attacked was located within a large complex that served as the headquarters of the local police.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the Peshawar attack, said Peshawar police official Saddiq Khan, who gave the latest death toll. Suspicion in such attacks often falls on the Pakistani Taliban, which has carried out similar bombing attacks in the past.
Peshawar police chief Ejaz Khan updated as the death toll rose.
The attacker blew himself up when about 200 worshipers were praying inside or on their way to pray at the mosque. The police compound is in a high-security area of the city, as are many government buildings, and it was unclear how the attackers got so far into the compound.
Local police official Zafar Khan said the explosion caused the roof of the building to collapse, injuring several people.
One survivor, 38-year-old police officer Meena Gul, said she was inside the mosque when the bomb went off and did not know how she escaped unhurt. After the explosion, he heard the sound of screaming.
According to the police, rescue workers are trying to clear the debris and reach those still trapped. Many of the injured were in critical condition in a nearby hospital and the death toll was expected to rise.
Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif condemned the attack in a statement and ordered authorities to ensure the best possible medical care for the victims. He also promised “stern action” against those responsible.
Former Prime Minister Imran Khan also condemned the attack, calling it a “terrorist suicide attack”.
Peshawar is the capital of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders Afghanistan and has been subject to frequent terrorist attacks.
The Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan or TTP, is a separate but affiliated branch of the Afghan Taliban, which seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021 as US and NATO troops ended 20 years of war. After finalizing his withdrawal from the country.
TTP has been insurgent in Pakistan for 15 years. It seeks to establish a strict rule of Islamic law in the country, the release of its detained members and a reduction of the Pakistani military presence in the country’s former tribal areas.
Pakistan has seen an increase in terrorist attacks since November, when the Pakistani Taliban ended a ceasefire with government forces.
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Associated Press writer Munir Ahmed in Islamabad contributed to this report.
