A suicide bomber killed at least 20 people and wounded 35 others as they attended Friday prayers at a mosque in a northwestern Pakistani tribal area, officials said.

The bombing took place in the village of Butmaina in the Mohmand tribal district bordering Afghanistan where the army has been fighting against Taliban militants.

“The Friday prayer was in progress at the mosque when a suicide bomber blew himself up in the main room killing at least 16 worshippers and wounding 35 others,” a senior tribal administration official told AFP.

“The area is remote and so far I have received only this information from our sources via wireless,” he said, adding a curfew had since been imposed.

Another local government official confirmed the information.

The assault was later condemned by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, whose office released a statement that said: “The cowardly attacks by terrorists cannot shatter the government’s resolve to eliminate terrorism from the country.”

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but the Pakistani Taliban routinely attack soft targets such as courts, schools and mosques.

Source: AFP