Jamaat-ul-Ahra, a splinter group of the Pakistani Taliban, has claimed responsibility for the bombing that also injured 34 people, according to the group's spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan.

The attack took place at one of the biggest mosques in Mohmand Agency, a district in Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas north of Peshawar, said Naveed Akbar, assistant administrator for the agency.

Two children under the age of 10 were killed in the blast while four children under the age of 10 are among the injured, Akbar said.

The official said the suicide bomber detonated his device inside the packed hall of the mosque, which has a capacity of 100 to 150 people.

Screams could be heard after the blast, and body parts were found scattered around the mosque, Akhbar said. He said the death toll is likely to grow. "The cowardly attacks by terrorists cannot shatter the government's resolve to eliminate terrorism from the country," he said. Jamaat-ul-Ahra has carried out several major attacks in Pakistan this year, including a bombing on August 8 that targeted lawyers and journalists and killed more than 72 people. </s> KHAR, Pakistan — A Pakistani official says the death toll from a suicide bombing at a mosque has risen to 36 after several of those wounded in the attack died in hospitals.

Pashin Gul, the head of the tribal police in the northwestern Mohmand region, provided the updated toll on Saturday, a day after the bombing. Several children were among those killed and wounded in the attack, which targeted weekly Friday prayers.

The initial toll provided by officials was 24 dead and 28 wounded. Some 200 worshippers were inside the mosque when the bomber struck.

A breakaway Taliban faction knows as Jamaat-ul-Ahrar claimed responsibility for the bombing, saying it targeted members of a pro-government militia. </s> KHAR, Pakistan (AP) — A Pakistani official says the death toll from a suicide bombing at a mosque has risen to 36 after several of those wounded in the attack died in hospitals.

Pashin Gul, the head of the tribal police in the northwestern Mohmand region, provided the updated toll on Saturday, a day after the bombing. Several children were among those killed and wounded in the attack, which targeted weekly Friday prayers.

The initial toll provided by officials was 24 dead and 28 wounded. Some 200 worshippers were inside the mosque when the bomber struck.

A Pakistani child who was injured in a suicide bombing is treated at a local hospital in Khar, Pakistan, Friday, Sept. 16, 2016. A suicide bomber attacked a Sunni mosque in northwest Pakistan on Friday, killing dozens of worshippers and wounding many others, officials said. Several children were also among those killed or wounded in the deadly attack. (AP Photo/Anwarullah Khan)

A breakaway Taliban faction knows as Jamaat-ul-Ahrar claimed responsibility for the bombing, saying it targeted members of a pro-government militia. </s> Suicide bombers attacked a court complex in Pakistan on Tuesday, killing at least four people, officials said, in the latest incident in a new surge of Islamist violence.A spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban's Jamaat-ur-Ahrar faction claimed responsibility for the attack in the northwestern town of Charsadda.The district administration said at least four people were killed. A witness told Reuters he had seen "many" dead bodies at the scene.A string of bombings in Pakistan over the past 10 days has killed more than 100 people.Town resident Mohammad Shah Baz told Reuters he was inside the judicial complex when the suicide bombers stormed it."I escaped towards the canteen and climbed the wall to save my life. But there were many people dead and injured," he said.District police chief Sohail Khalid said at least one of the attackers blew himself up and another opened fire at the main entrance of the court compound before they were shot and killed.Jamaat-ur-Ahrar spokesman Asad Mansoor claimed responsibility the attack in a message to journalists. He said fighting was still going on at the court. </s> No group immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing in Payee Khan, a village in Mohmand Agency that is part of the lawless Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) bordering Afghanistan.

"The suicide bomber was in a crowded mosque, he shouted 'Allahu akbar' (God is greatest) and then there was a huge blast," Naveed Akbar, deputy administrator of Mohmand Agency, told Reuters.

Akbar added that some fatalities appear to have been caused when part of the mosque caved in from the force of the blast.

"A portion of the mosque and verandah collapsed in the blast and fell on worshippers. We are still retrieving bodies and the injured from the rubble of the mosque," he said.

Local tribal elder Haji Subhanullah Mohmand said the attack may have been carried out by Islamist militants seeking revenge after local tribesmen gathered a volunteer force and killed one and captured another insurgent.

"It seems to have enraged the militants and they got their revenge by carrying out a suicide attack in a mosque today," Mohmand said.

Pakistan's frontier regions, which are deeply conservative and hard to access due to rough terrain, have long been the sanctuary of fighters from al Qaeda, the Taliban and other militant groups.

In 2014 the army launched a major operation in other parts of FATA including North and South Waziristan against insurgents who routinely attacked government officials and civilians.

Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif condemned the bombing and said the "attacks by terrorists cannot shatter the government's resolve to eliminate terrorism from the country."

Security in Pakistan has improved in recent years - the military says "terrorist incidents" dropped from 128 in 2013 to 74 last year - but Islamist extremists continue to stage major attacks.

A bombing of lawyers in the city of Quetta killed 74 people last month, an attack claimed by both the Islamic State and Jamaat-ur-Ahrar, a breakaway faction of the Pakistani Taliban.

Jamaat-ur-Ahrar also claimed the Easter Sunday bombing in a park in the eastern city of Lahore that killed 72 people, many of them children.

Most of the myriad militant groups that stage attacks inside Pakistan seek to overthrow the government to establish an Islamic theocracy and impose a stricter interpretation of the religion than is practiced in much of the country.

Other armed groups based in the country target neighboring Afghanistan and Indian-controlled Kashmir. </s> At least 25 people have been killed in a suicide bombing claimed by a Taliban splinter group at a mosque in Pakistan.

The blast struck as Muslims gathered for Friday prayers in the village of Payee Khan in Mohmand Agency district.

“The suicide bomber was in crowded mosque, he shouted 'Allahu Akbar', and then there was a huge blast,” Naveed Akbar, deputy administrator of the region, told Reuters.

Officials said at least 25 people were killed and 30 injured and there were fears the death toll could rise as rescue operations continued.

Pakistani Taliban faction Jamaat ul-Ahrar claimed responsibility for the attack, with local tribal elder Haji Subhanullah Mohmand suggesting it may have been revenge for the killing of a militant by tribal volunteers.

“It seems to have enraged the militants and they got their revenge by carrying out a suicide attack in a mosque today,” he said.

Nawaz Sharif, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, condemned the bombing and said “attacks by terrorists cannot shatter the government's resolve to eliminate terrorism from the country.”

The military says security is improving, with recorded “terrorist incidents” dropping from 128 in 2013 to 74 last year - but Islamist extremists continue to stage major attacks.

Friday's bombing came a day after a woman was killed by a grenade in Lower Mohmand Agency when militants attacked a pro-government tribal elder's home.

Largely deeply conservative, the territory is remote and hard to access, providing sanctuary for extremist fighters targeted in decades of military operations and drone strikes.

Tehrik-i-Taliban (Pakistani Taliban) militants are waging an Islamist insurgency in the area and have launched a series of bombing attacks and assaults on security services.

Its Jamaat ul-Ahrar faction claimed responsibility for a bombing targeting lawyers that killed 74 people in the city of Quetta last month, as well as the the Easter Sunday blasts in Lahore that killed 72 people, many of them children.

Al-Qaeda fighters are also present in Pakistan, while Isis has recently bene seeking to increase its presence in the country and neighbouring Afghanistan, where it has founded an affiliate called Khorasan Province. </s> At least 25 people are dead in northwestern Pakistan, after a suicide bomber shouted "Allahu akbar" and blew himself up in a packed mosque, a local official says.

At least 30 other people were wounded in the attack during Friday (Saturday NZ Time) prayers.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing in Payee Khan, a village in Mohmand Agency that is part of the lawless Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) bordering Afghanistan.

"The suicide bomber was in a crowded mosque, he shouted 'Allahu akbar' (God is greatest) and then there was a huge blast," Naveed Akbar, deputy administrator of Mohmand Agency, told Reuters.

Akbar added that some fatalities appear to have been caused when part of the mosque caved in from the force of the blast.

Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif condemned the bombing and said the "attacks by terrorists cannot shatter the government's resolve to eliminate terrorism from the country".

Local tribal elder Haji Subhanullah Mohmand said the attack may have been carried out by Islamist militants seeking revenge after local tribesmen gathered a volunteer force and killed one and captured another insurgent.

Pakistan's frontier regions, which are deeply conservative and hard to access due to rough terrain, have long been the sanctuary of fighters from al-Qaeda, the Taliban and other militant groups.

In 2014 the army launched a major operation in other parts of FATA including North and South Waziristan against insurgents who routinely attacked government officials and civilians.

Security in Pakistan has improved in recent years - the military says "terrorist incidents" dropped from 128 in 2013 to 74 last year - but Islamist extremists continue to stage major attacks.

A bombing of lawyers in the city of Quetta killed 74 people last month, an attack claimed by both the Islamic State and Jamaat-ur-Ahrar, a breakaway faction of the Pakistani Taliban.

Jamaat-ur-Ahrar also claimed the Easter Sunday bombing in a park in the eastern city of Lahore that killed 72 people, many of them children. </s> Suicide bombers attacked a court complex in Pakistan on Tuesday, killing at least four people, officials said, in the latest incident in a new surge of Islamist violence. A spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban's Jamaat-ur-Ahrar faction claimed responsibility for the attack in the northwestern town of Charsadda.

Start the conversation, or Read more at South China Morning Post. </s> Death toll rises to 25 in suicide bombing in Pakistan mosque - regional official

PESHAWAR, Pakistan, Sept 16 (Reuters) - The death toll in a suicide bombing in northwestern Pakistan on Friday rose to 25, a regional official said, with 30 wounded during the attack on a packed mosque.

"A portion of the mosque and veranda collapsed in the blast and fell on worshippers. We are still retrieving bodies and the injured from rubble of the mosque building," Naveed Akbar, deputy administrator of Mohmand Agency, told Reuters.

The attack took place during Friday prayers in the village of Payee Khan, in the Mohmand Agency region of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) bordering Afghanistan. (Reporting by Jibran Ahman; writing by Drazen Jorgic; Editing by Mike Collett-White)
A suicide bombing at a mosque in Mohmand Agency kills at least 28 people and injures 31 others. Jamaat-ul-Ahrar claims the responsibility.