Bomb attack at Pakistan mosque kills at least 21 people

At least 21 people were killed and dozens wounded in an attack on a mosque near police offices in Kohat, north-western Pakistan. A vehicle bomb detonated at the mosque as gunmen attempted to storm the compound and exchanged fire with officers. The attack, which targeted police officers attending prayers, occurred in a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Seven armed gunmen were among those killed, and six were killed in a separate roadside bombing that hit a security forces convoy in Hangu district. Most victims were police officers, and one suicide bomber attacked an intelligence agency office nearby. The Pakistani Taliban is suspected to be behind the attack, which comes a day after a similar roadside bombing killed six soldiers.

The Pakistani Taliban has stepped up attacks on police and civilians, with a suicide bomber killing 101 people in a mosque in Peshawar in 2023. The Taliban is separate from but allied with Afghanistan's Taliban. Pakistan and Afghanistan have had high tensions since Pakistan targeted alleged TTP hideouts in Afghanistan in 2025, leading to border clashes and mediation efforts by Qatar, Türkiye, and China.