At least 32 people dead and 147 wounded in suspected suicide bomb attack in north-western Pakistan

At least 32 people have been killed and 147 people injured in a suspected suicide bomb attack carried out by the Pakistan Taliban at a mosque in the city of Peshawar, as the security situation in Pakistan continues to deteriorate.

The blast struck as 200 worshipers were praying in the mosque, located in the Police Lines area of the city where the police headquarters and counter-terrorism officers are based

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing but the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), have recently stepped up attacks in the region and have been blamed in similar suicide bombings targeting military and police. The TTP has waged an insurgency in Pakistan for the past 15 years.

Khan said that between 300 and 400 police officers had been in the area when the blast took place. “It is apparent that a security lapse occurred,” he told reporters.

The Pakistani prime minister, Shahbaz Shari called it a “suicide attack” and ordered authorities to ensure the best possible medical treatment to the survivors. “Terrorists want to create fear by targeting those who perform the duty of defending Pakistan,” he said in a statement.

The former prime minister Imran Khan said that better intelligence gathering and security for police forces was needed to “combat the growing threat of terrorism”.

Though the TTP are separate from the Taliban in Afghanistan, the Taliban’s ascension to power in Kabul has been seen to empower the group in neighbouring Pakistan.