At least 16 killed after vehicle loaded with explosives rams into Pakistan mosque

A vehicle packed with explosives plowed into a mosque in northwestern Pakistan, resulting in the deaths of at least 16 people, including five police officers, according to a senior police official in Peshawar. The terror attack is currently unfolding at the mosque, situated close to police headquarters in the Kohat district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, with a gun battle continuing between the assailants and security forces.

One of the attackers has reportedly been killed, and a rescue operation is underway. Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari expressed his hopes for the quick recovery of the injured in the blast. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police chief inspector general, Zulfikar Hameed, has characterized the attack as a "suicide attack". No group has yet claimed responsibility for the incident.

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif also condemned the explosion. Militancy in Pakistan's border regions has surged recently, aiming at the military and police. Islamabad asserts that militants exploit sanctuary in Afghanistan for training and plotting attacks within Pakistan. Afghanistan's Taliban government rejects these allegations, stating that the issue is an internal matter for Pakistan.