At least 21 killed after vehicle loaded with explosives rams Pakistan mosque
News Source
β’Fri, 18 Sep 2026 17:31:30 GMT
π° What Happened
A car bomb attack on a mosque in north-west Pakistan has killed at least 21 people and injured more than 100. The blast happened in the city of Kohat, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Gunmen also fired on a police facility nearby.
Officials say 15 police officers and a four-year-old child were among the dead. Police described it as a suicide attack. They said all seven attackers died in the explosion and the gun battle that followed. The blast came during Friday prayers around 13:15 local time. No group has yet said it carried out the attack.
π The Backstory
Militant violence has risen sharply in Pakistan's border areas in recent months. Armed groups often target police and soldiers. The government says militants hide and train in neighbouring Afghanistan.
Afghanistan's Taliban government denies this. It says militant groups are a problem inside Pakistan itself. A clearance operation is under way at the mosque, which sits near police headquarters.
π― Why It Matters
The attack killed ordinary people at prayer and shows how dangerous daily life has become in parts of Pakistan. It may also raise tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
A car bomb attack on a mosque in north-west Pakistan has killed at least 21 people and injured more than 100. The blast happened in the city of Kohat, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Gunmen also fired on a police facility nearby.
Officials say 15 police officers and a four-year-old child were among the dead. Police described it as a suicide attack. They said all seven attackers died in the explosion and the gun battle that followed. The blast came during Friday prayers around 13:15 local time. No group has yet said it carried out the attack.
Militant violence has risen sharply in Pakistan's border areas in recent months. Armed groups often target police and soldiers. The government says militants hide and train in neighbouring Afghanistan.
Afghanistan's Taliban government denies this. It says militant groups are a problem inside Pakistan itself. A clearance operation is under way at the mosque, which sits near police headquarters.
The attack killed ordinary people at prayer and shows how dangerous daily life has become in parts of Pakistan. It may also raise tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan.