Mosque bomb attack

Sarbakaf Mohmand, a commander for the Pakistani Taliban, claimed responsibility for the attack on Twitter.

A SUICIDE bomber has struck a crowded mosque inside a police compound in Pakistan, causing the roof to collapse and killing at least 47 people and wounding more than 150 others, officials said.

Most of the casualties were police officers. It was not clear how the bomber was able to slip into the walled compound, which houses the police headquarters in the north-western city of Peshawar and is itself located in a high-security zone with other government buildings.

The main spokesman for the militant group was not immediately available for comment.

Pakistan, which is mostly Sunni Muslim, has seen a surge in militant attacks since November when the Pakistani Taliban ended their ceasefire with government forces.