A suicide bomber targeted a mosque inside a pro-Taliban seminary in northwestern Pakistan on Friday, killing at least five people, including a senior cleric, and injuring dozens, according to local authorities.
The attack occurred in Akora Khattak, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Among the killed was Hamidul Haq, leader of a faction of the Jamiat-e-Ulema Islam (JUI) party and head of the Jamia Haqqania seminary, where many Afghan Taliban leaders have studied. Haq was the son of Samiul Haq, a key figure in the Taliban movement, who was assassinated in 2018.
Police said the mosque had security personnel present at the time of the blast. No group has claimed responsibility. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack and directed authorities to provide medical care for the wounded.
Pakistan has seen a rise in militant attacks, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. In a separate incident on Friday, a roadside bomb in Quetta injured 10 people, including security personnel.
