BREAKING NEWS: At least 32 killed, 147 injured after a suicide bombing targeted police

Pakistan officials say over 32 people have been killed and 147 injured in a suicide bombing targeted the police in the northwestern city of Peshawar

A suicide bombing in Pakistan has killed at least 32 people on Monday, January 30, after the attack targeting the police took place in Peshawar.  

According to official reports, 147 people have also been injured, while hospital authorities have said, many of them are in critical condition.

Pakistan´s prime minister Shehbaz Sharif has called the incident a suicide attack, while, police officials have said that attack took place after over 260 people were inside a mosque, located in the region’s police lines.

The building which was targeted is inside a highly secured compound, where the headquarters of the provincial police force as well as the counter-terrorism department is located.  

Authorities in the country have said that no one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, which took place at the time of the afternoon prayers.  

As per statements by Riaz Mehsood, Peshawar´s police commissioner, cited by Dawn, rescue operations are presently underway, as scores of people are believed to be buried in the rubble. 

Official statements suggest that a part of the building collapsed following the explosion. They also said that at least 300 to 40 police personnel were present in the area at the time of the explosion. Peshawar is frequently targeted by militant groups, including the Pakistani Taliban, as it is located at the edge of the tribal district and borders Afghanistan.  

Local reports also suggest that a group known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, which is an umbrella of Sunni and Islamist groups, wants to replace the country´s government with its own type of Islamic governance.  

The group has also increased attacks after the end of a peace deal that was facilitated by the Afghan Taliban, between them and the Pakistani government.  

Following this, attacks targeting the police have also increased.

Thank you for taking the time to read this article, do remember to come back and check The Euro Weekly News website for all your up-to-date local and international news stories and remember, you can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram.