RNS: At least 44 people were killed while over 160 injured in a suicide bomb explosion that occurred inside a mosque in the Police Lines neighbourhood of Peshawar, Pakistan, close to the Afghan border on Monday.
The explosion took occurred in the mosque during afternoon prayers, when a significant number of people had assembled for prayer, according to the Police. At the time of the explosion, according to officials from the police department, there were approximately 260 individuals present inside the mosque, which is situated in close proximity to a police housing block.
Inside the mosque, a search and rescue operation is currently taking place as a result of the explosion that caused a piece of the building to collapse, burying a number of individuals underneath the debris.
The terrorist organisation known as the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) took credit for the explosion.
Shehbaz Sharif, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, issued a statement in which he denounced the explosion and asked the authorities to ensure that the victims receive the highest possible standard of medical care. He demanded severe punishment for the individuals who were responsible for the attack.
