At least 16 killed in suicide attack on police facility in northwest Pakistan

At least 16 individuals, comprising five police officers, perished in northwest Pakistan on Friday after a suicide bomber rammed their vehicle into a police station as people were praying at a mosque inside the Kohat city in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, according to police. The assailant's car collided with the outer wall of the police compound and gunmen who accompanied it opened fire on the civilians, said provincial police chief Zulfikar Hameed.

The blast took place near a mosque where both police personnel, their family members, and other civilians were participating in Friday prayers. A gunfight between the police and the attackers continued, and one of the assailants wearing an explosives-laden vest was killed, stated the police. The interior ministry declared that the "cowardly actions" of the attackers would not diminish the nation's unwavering resolve.

Militancy in Pakistan's border regions has intensified in recent months, primarily targeting the military and police. Islamabad attributes this surge to the militants utilizing safe havens in Afghanistan to train and plan attacks within Pakistan. Afghanistan's Taliban government has denied these allegations, asserting that the issue of militancy is a domestic concern for Pakistan.