Dozens killed in mosque attack in Pakistan

At least 30 people were killed and 50 wounded in an attack on a Shiite mosque in Pakistan’s northwestern city of Peshawar, according a local hospital spokesman, Muhammad Asim.

A blast struck the mosque during Friday prayers, and gunmen pushed inside, opening fire on worshipers packed into the main hall. No group immediately claimed responsibility.

Pakistani police tweeted that at least two assailants carried out the attack, first firing on police officers guarding the mosque in central Peshawar. The tweet said one officer was killed and a second was critically wounded.

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan condemned the attack. His office said in a statement that he “ordered immediate medical treatment to the injured and asked for a report of the incident.”

Video released by police showed victims being loaded into ambulances as additional security forces arrived at the scene.

Militant attacks have increased in Pakistan along border regions with Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover of Kabul last year. Some leaders of extremist groups long active in Pakistan have said the Taliban’s rise next door has emboldened their forces.