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2nd LD Writethru: 16 killed, 23 injured in suicide blast in NW Pakistan

Xinhua, September 16, 2016 Adjust font size:

At least 16 people were killed and 23 others injured in a suicide blast at a mosque in Pakistan's northwestern tribal region of Mohmand Agency on Friday afternoon, officials said.

Naveed Akbar, assistant political agent of the region, said the incident took place when a suicide bomber entered the mosque and exploded his explosives laden vest amid people who were offering Friday prayer in Paye Khan village in Anbar area in Mohmand Agency, a tribal area bordering Afghanistan.

Police, security forces and rescue teams rushed to the site and shifted the bodies and injured to the central hospital of Mohmand Agency.

The seriously injured are being referred to the hospitals in cities of Peshawar and Charsadda.

According to some local reports, around 70 to 80 people were offering prayer at the mosque when the blast took place.

Security forces have cordoned off the area and launched a search operation to arrest the suicide bomber's facilitators who dropped him nearby the mosque.

The bomb disposal squad said around five to seven km of explosives along with ball bearings was used in the blast.

No group has claimed the attack yet.

Earlier on Sept. 2, at least 14 people including six lawyers and two policemen were killed and 52 others injured in a suicide attack at district courts in Pakistan's northwestern district of Mardan.

On Sept. 13, police foiled a terrorist attack at a mosque during Eid prayer when two suicide bombers attempted to enter a mosque in Shikarpur district in the country's southern province of Sindh.

At least 13 people were injured when one of the suicide bombers exploded his jacket after policemen shot him, while the second bomber was arrested by the policemen. Enditem