Islamabad, Sep 18 (IANS) At least 15 people were killed and over 50 others injured after a blast near a mosque in the Police Lines area of Kohat district in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Friday, local media reported.
District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital's M S Tahir Ali Shah said that 15 bodies along with over 50 injured people were brought to the hospital after the blast, Pakistan-based Geo News reported. The police said that the explosion took place during Friday prayers and caused a crater near the mosque. Police personnel were among those injured in the explosion, according to police.
The police said that an additional contingent of security personnel were rushed to the Police Lines after the explosion. Rescue officials said that the mosque's outer section was severely damaged and a wall collapsed due to the blast. According to officials, rescue operations were being conducted at the site of the incident, Geo News reported.
The explosion took place amid a rise in attacks targeting Pakistani law enforcement personnel, particularly in the provinces of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
On September 10, a constable was killed, and another was seriously injured after unidentified assailants targeted a checkpost in Kank area of Mastung district of Pakistan's Balochistan province.
According to police, the unidentified assailants targetted the checkpost before escaping from the spot after an exchange of fire with the police personnel stationed there, leading Pakistani daily Dawn reported.
After the attack, police and security personnel cordoned off the area and began a search operation to find the attackers.
Meanwhile, a monthly security assessment by Islamabad-based think tank, Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), has revealed that 199 terrorist attacks were reported in Pakistan in August, in comparison to 144 in July, Dawn reported. The 199 attacks reported in August claimed 158 lives and injured 181 people, compared to 268 deaths and 216 injuries in July.
--IANS
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