At least 45 people have been killed in a suicide bombing at a mosque in Pakistan's troubled north-west, officials said.
attack was carried out during Friday prayers in the Akharwal area of Darra Adam Khel, which borders Peshawar, the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.
"So far, 45 people have been confirmed dead and more than 70 injured in the attack," Khalid Khan Omerzai, the administrator of the neighbouring Kohat district, said by telephone.
He said a suicide bomber aged 14 to 15 barged into the mosque while people were praying and detonated his explosives.
Mujahid Khan of the Edhi ambulance service said the death toll would rise because some of the injured were in critical condition.
Provincial Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain said the government would continue its fight against violent extremism and terrorism until victory.
"We are ready to make more sacrifices in this war against terrorism but will defeat these militants no matter what tactics they use because they are wrong and we are right," he said.
Television footage showed the mosque was destroyed. Some of the houses in the immediate neighbourhood were also damaged.
Police cordoned off the area. Arrests had yet to be made although witnesses said the suicide bomber had armed accomplices who fired guns into the air after the explosion and then disappeared.
People scrambled to help the victims, who were taken to hospitals in Peshawar. Local volunteers were helping officials transport the dead and injured.
Taliban militants took responsibility for the attack in a message sent to local media outlets.
At least three people were killed and around 20 injured last month in a similar bombing at a mosque during Friday prayers in the Pushtakhara area of Peshawar.
Pakistan has been fighting Taliban militants in the region who in retaliation often target civilians as well as security forces.
(source:timeslive.co.za)
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