A powerful bomb exploded at a mosque near a police building in Kohat, a district in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders Afghanistan. The attack killed at least 15 people and injured 56 others, according to police and rescue officials. The blast occurred when an attacker drove a vehicle packed with explosives into the mosque, said Zulfiqar Hameed, the provincial police chief. Hospital officials confirmed that five police officers and 10 civilians were among the dead, while most of the injured were worshippers. Some of the wounded were in critical condition. Gunfire is still being exchanged between attackers and security forces at the site, according to a senior police official in Peshawar. One of the assailants has been killed by police, an officer said. Rescue operations are ongoing, and local media report that the death toll may rise. In addition, at least two armed gunmen tried to enter the police compound and exchanged fire with officers. Photos from the scene showed the outer wall of the police offices had collapsed and the mosque was severely damaged. Smoke rose over the area after the blast, which was heard by witnesses and residents far away, followed by gunfire. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack and expressed sorrow over the casualties. He ordered authorities to speed up rescue efforts. No group has immediately claimed responsibility, but the Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), is a likely suspect. This attack follows a similar incident the previous day, when a roadside bomb struck a security convoy in Hangu district, killing six soldiers. On the same day, government troops conducted raids in multiple areas and killed 10 militants believed to be part of the TTP. The Pakistani Taliban have increased attacks on police and civilians in recent years. In 2023, a suicide bomber killed 101 people in a mosque in Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The TTP is a separate group from but allied with Afghanistan’s Taliban, which regained power in 2021. Pakistan frequently accuses the Afghan government of harboring the TTP and not stopping cross-border attacks. The government in Kabul has denied these claims.