SUICIDE BOMBER KILLS 31

ISLAMABAD, SEPTEMBER 19 /SRNA/ – A suicide bomber killed at least 31 people in an attack in northwestern Pakistan, AFP reported, citing a police official.

The attacker drove a vehicle packed with explosives into a police facility while officers and their families were praying in a mosque.

More than 100 people were reported injured. The bombing took place on Friday, while fighting continued on Saturday with several attackers who, according to police, had barricaded themselves inside part of the complex.

A local group, Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen Pakistan, described as a faction linked to Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, claimed responsibility for the attack.

Pakistan has blamed militant groups based in Afghanistan for the rise in violence, an allegation denied by the Taliban authorities in Kabul.