At least 88 people killed in Pakistan mosque blast

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan

Dozens of people have been killed in a bomb attack targeting a mosque in a security compound in the north-western Pakistani city of Peshawar, according to authorities.

Muhammed Asim, a spokesperson for the Lady Reading Hospital in Peshawar, told Al Jazeera on Tuesday that 88 people had died.

He said that, out of the more than 170 injured people taken to hospital, 57 injured people were still receiving treatment and six remained in critical condition.

Siddique Khan, a police official, said the attacker blew himself up while among the worshippers. Authorities said more than 90 percent of the casualties were police officials.

Sarbakaf Mohmand, a commander for the Pakistan Taliban (Tehreek-e-Taliban, or TTP), initially claimed responsibility for the attack on Twitter.

But hours later, TTP spokesperson Mohammad Khurasani distanced the group from the bombing, saying it was not its policy to target mosques, seminaries and religious places. His did not address why a TTP commander had claimed responsibility for the bombing.

“Tehreek-e-Taliban has nothing to do with this attack,” a TTP statement said.

The mosque is located inside a highly fortified compound that includes the headquarters of the provincial police force and a counterterrorism department.

Authorities said part of the building collapsed and that many people were feared to be trapped under the rubble.

Peshawar’s Police Chief Muhammad Ijaz Khan said in a televised statement that the capacity of the main hall of the mosque was nearly 300 and it was “nearly full” at the time of the explosion.

The mosque is within Peshawar’s Police Lines, an area that is part of the city’s red zone where a number of important government installations are, including the Chief Minister House, Governor House, and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial assembly building.